April 15, 2025
One of Justice U’s cornerstone offerings is the 3-part CSEC Essential Knowledge Series, which focuses on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). This series is strategically designed to equip those working with children and youth in specific settings and roles to identify, prevent, and address CSEC.
In this blog, we wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at the development of this series. At Justice U, we are equally committed to providing you with the education you need to make an impact and to providing that education in a way that empowers, inspires, and encourages your team (and ours) in a world of work that is at times very difficult and draining.
Our goal is to provide learning that both informs and encourages.
Whether you’re new to anti-trafficking work or a seasoned advocate, we know the work can be emotionally taxing. Learning about the darkest parts of human behavior and realizing they occur close to home can sometimes lead to feelings of overwhelm, depression, isolation, or compassion fatigue. Because of this, creating this series was both challenging and deeply rewarding. Here’s how we did it!
Strong Content Based on Research and Skills
This series was built on the latest peer-reviewed and government research, enabling learners to use accurate, unbiased, current data and effective tools. National subject matter experts also added their vital input. It was important to us to provide you with the confidence to learn and then act within your sphere of influence with young people. We also empower you to learn more by providing our citations. You can seek out the full articles if you need more detailed information.
One of the things our team was proudest of for this series is that we consciously decided to prioritize not only the quality of the content but also the well-being of our learners and developers. Many people have their own experiences of trauma, and training should reflect sensitivity toward this reality. We built in self-care practices to help users process the emotional toll of confronting this difficult subject matter. We integrated therapeutic techniques into our course development process, ensuring participants could safely manage their emotional and physical responses. Additionally, learners who practice these self-care techniques can then model them to the youth they work with and care for.
Managing the emotional toll of this work includes finding and using strategies to care for yourself.
We were convinced that fostering self-awareness and prioritizing well-being help us and our learners sustain our commitment to this critical work.
A Trauma-Informed Approach
Our experience developing the CSEC series underscored the importance of applying trauma-informed principles—not just in the courses but throughout the development process.
We wove key trauma-informed care principles like safety, trust, choice, empowerment, collaboration, and respect into every stage of our work. This approach enhanced team cohesion and well-being, resulting in healthier team dynamics and better educational products.
We found that building trust within our team was transformative. By creating space to connect personally and professionally, we fostered a culture where individuals felt seen, supported, and empowered. This trust enabled us to bring our full, empathetic selves to the work—an essential ingredient for meaningful change. We hope that sharing our process encourages other teams to integrate those same principles to similarly build supportive environments where we can better care for each other in this work.
Next Steps
Access the 3-part CSEC series on Justice U’s website to see a full description of each course along with details about the 4 continuing education (CE/CEU) units available after completion. CEUs are approved through the AAPA, ACPE, ADA, AMA, ANCC, APA, ASWB, COPE and ICPE. All courses also offer badges for completion. The third course in the CSEC series offers 8 different role-based tracks, including:
- educators and school personnel
- behavioral health providers
- healthcare professionals
- group home professionals
- foster care and adoptive families and associations
- juvenile justice professionals
- community advocates and organizations
- case managers
A five-part series offering CEUs for healthcare providers and a three-part series for community members, developed with Engage Together, are also available.
While change starts with learning, the real impact comes when we can apply what we learn in ourselves, within our communities, and worldwide.
These courses are built with intention and love for people who work with kids and for those kids impacted by trafficking. We’re here to keep youth safe from harm and help them thrive in supportive, informed communities. You are uniquely positioned to be part of the solutions that will prevent and end human trafficking. Thank you for all you do. Know that we are here to help.