Who is Dr. Pamela J. Pine & What is Stop the Silence®?
Pamela J. Pine, PhD, MPH is an international speaker and public health, development, and communications expert who has dedicated her career to improving lives around the world. Since 2000, she has focused on childhood trauma, specializing in preventing/addressing child sexual abuse (CSA), trafficking, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Founder and former CEO of Stop the Silence ® – Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc., Dr. Pine now directs Stop the Silence ® at the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT), leading global advocacy, education, and training efforts. A professor, best-selling author, poet, and multimedia artist, she uses the arts to inspire awareness and healing. Featured by major media and recipient of IVAT’s Lifetime Advocacy Award (2017), the International Leadership Women’s Impact Award (2024), and the 2025 Voices of Courage Award®, she continues championing protection and healing worldwide.
As a result of obvious need, in 2000, Dr. Pine began Stop the Silence ® (Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc.) as a collaborative effort of groups and incorporated it as an international charitable (501(c)(3)) based in Maryland in 2004. In January 2021, Stop the Silence ® became a department of the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma committed to the prevention, treatment, and mitigation of child sexual abuse (CSA), other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and related interpersonal trauma through advocacy, education, and training programming that includes online educational programming, training professionals, and educational speaking and guidance for conferences, companies, organizations, and educational institutions. We work to address the relationships between childhood trauma and the broader issues of overall family and community violence, and violence within and between communities. We provide help and resources through comprehensive programming with awareness, education/outreach, training, and policy development and reform.
Dr. Pine created the Post-Graduate Certificate in Child Trauma and Protection
The Post-Graduate toward Master’s (as desired) program is a unique opportunity to get important, fundamental information at your own pace provided by experts in the field of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), for a fraction of the cost of other programs, and in as little as three months for the certificate and 12-24 months for the Master’s. The focus includes prevention, treatment, mitigation, and policy considerations regarding child sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and other traumatic events
Be at your best helping prevent and treat adverse childhood experiences. The Online Program in Child Trauma and Protection is endorsed by the National Open College Network (NOCN). Learn more about the Post Graduate Certificate Program here and/or contact Dr. Pamela J. Pine.
Dr. Pamela J. Pine
Mission
The Mission of the Stop the Silence® Department is to prevent, expose, and stop child sexual abuse as a part of other ACEs and help survivors heal worldwide. Our overarching goals are to:
Promote healing of victims and survivors;
Celebrate the lives of those healed; and
Underscore CSA/ACEs as a social justice and civil rights issues.
Our Work
For 21 years, Stop the Silence® has provided comprehensive programming locally, nationally, and internationally toward the prevention and mitigation of CSA and ACEs through outreach (one-on-one, mass/social media), education, training, connecting the public to service providers through direct and electronic means, and policy development and reform to effect broad societal change. Click below to read about the innovative ways we are working to prevent, expose, and ultimately end child sexual abuse.
Download a free chapter of Dr Pamela J. Pine’s book
2023 International Book Award Winner!
Learn More Video
Take a moment and watch this Stop the Silence® video to learn about the importance of speaking up about child sexual abuse.
Education, Outreach, and Training
Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc. has developed extensive trainings and programs which are now being implemented both within the United States and abroad. In 2014, we furthered our model through programming in Cyprus. This model, as discussed above, is currently being broadened to include other countries and community groups/needs. Please read more about our Cyprus Model of Training, here.
Stop the Silence® and Survivors Healing Center (SHC) of Family Service Agency of the Central Coast of California in California developed a training for service providers that was the base for the training aspect of our model. It has been tested and shown effective in increasing awareness, knowledge, understanding about and action on child sexual abuse (CSA) with U.S. and international audiences from various types of government and non-profit groups and organizations. This training provides a broad overview of many aspects of the issue of CSA, focusing in particular on those areas that will be most useful for a variety of health and human service providers, educators, law enforcement professionals, and others who are or may be involved with aspects of CSA. Additionally, the training teaches practical tools for working with survivors effectively and respectfully and provides a discussion and guidance on policy issues.
Online Education
Stop the Silence® has been working with Dr. Craig Hansen, based in New Zealand, and the University of Applied Research and Development (https://uard.university/) to develop Masters, Post-Graduate Diploma, and Post-Graduate Certificate Level Programmes in Child Trauma and Protection, Level 7. We have moved to the final launch stage and we expect to go live with the first level (Certificate) of the program marketed primarily to a U.S. audience by the end of 2021.
The Nanny League Training
Stop the Silence® is proud to work in conjunction with The Nanny League to provide a quick but comprehensive on-line training specifically for nannies on CSA prevention and mitigation. For only $39.95, the training provides all incoming nannies an overview on the issue of CSA – including trafficking: what it is, what it does, how you can prevent it, how you can detect a problem, and how you can report it. Similar online trainings are available for other audiences.
OUR BASIC TRAINING COMPONENTS
The basic training manual consists of a number of modules or sections that can be used individually or collectively, depending on the training needs. All or most of the modules focus on and/or include:
Pages outlining the presentation of the material covered
Additional materials, handouts containing informational readings or worksheets
The materials are designed to be used for presentations ranging from two hours to one week, with various populations of service providers:
Professionals
Paraprofessionals, and
Lay people
As trainers, we choose modules according to the needs of the specific group being trained and the length of the training. We encourage future individuals or trainers who are trained (we provide a training-of-trainers option) to do likewise. An agenda is developed for each training that is planned and lists the names of the sections to be used and an approximate time frame.
The cost of the training is dependent upon the extent of training needed, designed, and presented, as well as the number of participants, and travel and related costs. Please contact us to explore possibilities: pamelap@ivatcenters.org.
Individualized and customized trainings are available, targeting various needs, sectors and groups. Please contact us to request your specific need.
International Model Programming
Our “Stop the Silence® Comprehensive Child Sexual Abuse Training, Prevention, Mitigation, and Care Model” focuses on the development and implementation of programming around the world. The vision and framework for the Model reflects and promotes a community-led social movement through a widening audience of community members and trained professionals. The goal is to reach key policymakers, stakeholders, service providers (e.g., educators, police, social service workers) and societal members, to ultimately impact members of society overall and the outcomes and impact of CSA. The framework focuses on the planned expansion of the targeted “spheres of influence” that directly impact children’s well-being.
Child Sexual Abuse is a silent epidemic throughout the world, creating social havoc. It can be prevented and treated with a conscious and sustained effort. Stop the Silence® provides that effort.
The Model’s parts have previously been tested in Cyprus, New Zealand, the UK/EU (e.g. including Central European areas), the US, and Zambia. Recent work in New Zealand allowed us to expand the integration of data analytics and mobile technologies into our existing social change programming, leading to the incorporation of the Trust MYRIVR App—a unique electronic referral and information system developed by our partner, Trust MYRIVR (TMR)—into our existing Model.
Click below to learn more about Spheres of Influence and how we Create Safe Communities through CSA Prevention and Mitigation
Stop the Silence® Post-Graduate Programs
Post-Graduate Certificate in Child Trauma and Protection
Are you interested in enhancing your knowledge and understanding of child trauma and protection for the purposes of expanding your personal comprehension; enhancing your academic pathway; improving your professional growth by increasing your capabilities, competencies, and leadership potential; and/or increasing your employability and salary potential?
The Post-Graduate toward Master’s (as desired) program is a unique opportunity to get important, fundamental information at your own pace provided by experts in the field of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), for a fraction of the cost of other programs, and in as little as three months for the certificate and 12-24 months for the Master’s. The focus includes prevention, treatment, mitigation, and policy considerations regarding child sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and other traumatic events
Be at your best helping prevent and treat adverse childhood experiences. Want to learn more? Read the Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact Dr. Pamela J. Pine.
The Online Program in Child Trauma and Protection is endorsed by the National Open College Network (NOCN).
Register for the Certificate Program
Earn a Certificate in Child Trauma and Protection in just 3 months. Cohort 12 starts Spring 2027.
Want more information? Contact Dr. Pamela J. Pine.
Register for the Master’s Program
Continue your education and receive a Master’s in Child Trauma and Protection in just 9 to 12 months
Registration opens soon!
Other Stop the Silence® Educational Resources
We are proud to offer Stop the Silence® educational resources across multiple platforms to reach as many people as we can in our mission to prevent, expose, and stop child sexual abuse and other Adverse Childhood Experiences worldwide. Check out Stop the Silence® resources below, including a free introductory course: Talking about Childhood Trauma.
Recorded Video Programs
Books
We know the difference the right training makes
Our courses are created and taught by experienced trauma care professionals. Learn more about some of the presenters below.
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Felitti, Vincent, MD, has over 50 years of experience in the field of Internal Medicine with extensive knowledge in the areas of childhood trauma, the genetic disease Hemochromatosis, and obesity. Serving as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California since 1982, Dr. Felitti's knowledge and experience is broad and significantly biopsychosocial. Dr. Felitti achieved his Medical Degree from Johns Hopkins in 1962 after being inspired to pursue a career in the medical field by his physician family, later becoming a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He spent 50 years with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (Kaiser Permanente) in San Diego. As the co-principal investigator, with Dr. Robert Anda of the CDC, of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE) Study since 1990, Dr. Felitti oversaw a long-term, in-depth, analysis of over 17,000 adults which revealed a powerful relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults. Felitti's revolutionary research remains much relevant to today's healthcare models and has inspired many places in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America to set up ACE task forces. Dr. Felitti is also the founder of the Department of Preventive Medicine for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego and has served on advisory committees at the Institute of Medicine and the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Felitti has also served as senior editor of The Permanente Journal, as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine Gulf War Committee, and an expert reviewer for the Medical Board of California. He is also a former member of the Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Women's Services. In addition to this, Dr. Felitti has himself authored or co-authored over 150 peer reviewed articles, contributing substantial research to the field of medicine. Under Dr. Felitti's leadership, his department has provided extensive comprehensive medical evaluations to 1.1 million individuals, becoming the largest single-site medical evaluation facility in the western world.
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Pamela Pine, PhD, MPH, MAIA, CHES, is an international health and development professional with over three decades of experience working on some of the world’s most difficult problems; the Founder and former CEO of the original non-profit Stop the Silence®: Stop Child Sexual Abuse, Inc. (2004); and now Director of Stop the Silence® - A Department of the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma (IVAT). The Stop the Silence® Department Mission is to prevent, expose, and stop child sexual abuse (CSA), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and related forms of interpersonal violence and trauma and help survivors heal, working in collaboration with community, government, non-profit, and for-profit groups through evidence-based, creative, and impactful programs carried out locally, nationally, and internationally. Pamela developed and tested a workable CSA prevention and mitigation model for use and led by communities throughout the world. She currently runs IVAT’s Stop the Silence® Department, is a professor of public health with American Public University; is a recognized speaker on abuse and various other subjects relevant to international health and safety; and an author and artist. Pamela was honored in 2017 with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Advocacy from the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma (IVAT) in San Diego.
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Sandi Capuano Morrison, MA, is the Chief Executive Officer for the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma (IVAT). Prior to her work with IVAT, she was the manager of the city of San Diego, California’s Rape Crisis Center, a member of the San Diego Sexual Assault Response Team, and the San Diego Sex Offender Management Council. She is a certified domestic violence and sexual assault advocate. Sandi was formerly the Director of the Tri-City Mental Health Agency’s IMPACT Batterer Intervention Program in Boston, MA. She served as a Domestic Violence Advocate and a Children’s Counselor in two domestic violence shelters in CO. she has worked with victims/survivors and offenders of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse for the past 29 years in CO, CA, and MA and has provided training nationally and internationally on these issues. Sandi serves as Co-Chair of both the Hawaii and San Diego International Summits and serves on the advisory Council for IVAT’s Hawaii branch, Ho’omaluhia, and on the Board of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV).
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Lisa Conradi, Psy.D. is the Executive Director at the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego. In this role, she provides overall leadership support to the Chadwick Center, a children’s advocacy center and one of the largest trauma treatment centers in the nation. She has multiple years of experience in the field of child trauma and in supporting service systems in their efforts to become more trauma-informed. She has authored and co-authored a variety of publications on trauma screening and assessment practices, creating trauma-informed systems and presented nationally on innovative practices designed to improve the service delivery system for children who have experienced trauma. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and has received training from the developers on multiple evidence-based trauma-focused treatment practices, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). She is on the editorial board for the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma and a co-author of the upcoming book, Trauma-Informed Assessment with Children and Adolescents: Strategies to Support Clinicians.
Art as Advocacy
ACADEMIC- AND COMMUNITY-BASED CSA PREVENTION/MITIGATON AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
Stop the Silence® has now packaged all the creative work that it has done over the years – in awareness, education, outreach, and training – and developed the Art as Advocacy Program, which uses film, theatre, dance, music, still art, and books to introduce and forward a movement to prevent and mitigate child sexual abuse (CSA). We do this through localized activities (“think global, act local”) while also providing training and outreach nationally and internationally.
Each of our programs have been vetted and evaluated in and through a number of venues over the past years and have been shown to greatly increase awareness, knowledge, and intent to act. The program is exploring the use of a unique computer-based Benefits Visualization model to keep programs on track to deliver quantifiable social and economic goals. Programming is interactive, contextual, scalable, and relevant to systems strengthening.
Interested in bringing Art as Advocacy to your community? Contact pamelap@ivatcenters.org.
Plays/ Drama/ Theater
Photo: Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor, written and performed by Michael Broussard
The use of plays like Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor by Michael Broussard and To Kill A Kelpie by Matthew McVarish and the after-show presentations/discussions have been tested and shown to increase awareness and promote healing by tapping into the audience’s emotions/feelings after the play or film, readying them to receive and process information.
Art of Self-Empowerment Program
Stop the Silence® collaborates with Herb Cohen, founder of the Art of Self-Empowerment, a powerful program designed for children and adults alike. This colorful advocacy program is currently being introduced in partnership with Stop the Silence®.
Click to Visit the Art of Self-Empowerment Website
Dance/ Expressive Art and Music
Stop the Silence® uses and promotes lyrical/artistic dance and musical performances (on many levels and across a myriad of platforms) to offer comfort, encouragement, and inspiration to survivors of abuse and trauma.
Films/Movies & Media
Stop the Silence also uses films like Lost Sparrow by Chris Billing, which helps underscore the cultural divides possible in CSA, “The Tale” directed by Jennifer Fox, with Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Common, Elizabeth Debicki; Devil in the Doorway by Chase Tarca that has a university-age audience at heart; and Flesh, which highlights human trafficking. Additionally, we use the book Father Figure by Sumi Mukherjee and the professionally rendered music video “Hit by Lightning” by Tamora Pellikka, written by Amy Pine.
Raising Awareness - Local, National, International
For ten years, from 2004 through 2013, Stop the Silence® conducted the Race to Stop the Silence® (Stop Child Sexual Abuse) in downtown Washington, D.C. Other Races have been conducted in Florida, and the Walk to Stop the Silence® occurred in Santa Cruz, CA, for 10 years in partnership with and by Survivors Healing Center of the Family Service Agency of the Central Coast serving Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties, CA.
Over the past eighteen years, other advocacy events have been concentrated in local environments, and funds raised have gone to local programming for the prevention and treatment of CSA.
Additionally, Stop the Silence® is proud to have catalyzed, supported, and managed the Road to Change® – Walk to Stop the Silence®, Stop Child Sexual Abuse, a 10,000 mile walk carried out between May 2013 and February 2015. The Road to Change® (RTC) was the brainchild of and led by Matthew McVarish, Scottish actor, playwright, musician, and activist. RTC visited 31 nations across Europe, garnering enormous media attention across the continent and affecting policy change on the statutes of limitations. Today, Stop the Silence® is expanding the Road to Change® program, emphasizing CSA/ACEs-focused realities and programs. We aim to increase communication with policymakers and practitioners as well as the public through a live international musical event and gala to garner broad international media as well as through presentations, webinars, and trainings, to expand understanding and underscore what this program is able to accomplish (see slides 34-53 for media process).
GET HELP RESOURCES
Help for Adults
There are a number of very good resources for survivors of child sexual abuse. Many areas offer local support groups where you can connect with others who are going through similar circumstances.
Help for Teens
If you are a teenager, and have been abused, tell a trusted adult about the abuse. If they don’t do anything, tell someone else. There are some books that you may also want to read and other information you may want to get.
Help for Children
If you are, or have, or know a child who has been sexually abused, you are not meant to travel this journey alone. You need to be able to talk to someone – someone who will listen and help you. The person can be any any trusted adult who you think can help.