invited speakers

Ms Christabel Chamarette

Australia

Christabel Chamarette M.Psych. MAPS ANZAPPL. ISPCAN is a registered Clinical Psychologist with over 35 years experience in the treatment of violence and sexual offending and adult survivors of child sexual abuse. She worked in the Criminal Justice System for 10 years (1971 - 1985), 8 years in Private Practice ( 1983 - 1991) and from January 1997 to July 2008 she was the Clinical Director at SafeCare. SafeCare (formerly known as the Sexual Assault in Families Program) began in 1989 and closed in 2009 and was a non-profit community organisation partly funded by the Department of Community Development. It provided counselling, support and group therapy in the community to all members of families where child sexual abuse has occurred or is at risk of occurring. Those responsible for child sexual abuse were required to enter into a contractual arrangement with the program that had child protection as its focus and were required to contribute financially according to their means for their 2 year treatment program. Separate group and individual programs were available for partners of offenders and children and young people who had been abused or commenced inappropriate sexual behaviour (SafeCare Young Peoples' Program).

Christabel is currently in private practice and engaged in research and teaching.

Doctor Phil Rich

USA

Phil Rich, Ed.D., LICSW holds a doctorate in applied behavioral and organizational studies and a master's degree in social work, and is a licensed independent clinical social worker. Phil is the former Clinical Director and the current Director of Clinical Program Development of the Stetson School, a 111-bed long-term residential treatment program for sexually reactive children and juvenile sexual offenders in Massachusetts. He has served as the program director of five residential and day treatment programs, and has worked extensively with troubled adolescents and adults in residential, inpatient, day treatment, and outpatient settings. Phil presents and trains nationally and internationally, and is the author of "Understanding Juvenile Sexual Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Rehabilitation", "Attachment and Sexual Offending: Understanding and Applying Attachment Theory to the Treatment of Juvenile Sexual Offenders," and "Juvenile Sexual Offenders: A Comprehensive Guide to Risk Evaluation". Phil has also authored the "Stages of Accomplishment Workbooks for Sexually Abusive Youth", due for publication by the NEARI Press in 2009.

John Silvester

Dinner Guest Speaker

Crime reporter and writer John Silvester has written, edited and published more than 30 crime books - including the best selling Underbelly series. His work was used as the basis for the top rating Underbelly television series on Melbourne’s Gangland War.

Silvester graduated from Latrobe University in 1978 and went on to work at the Sun and the Herald Sun. He was appointed Sun police reporter in 1980, Chief Police Reporter in 1981 and was an investigate reporter from 1986-1993. He then moved to the Age, for which he still writes. He is a crime commentator on Radio 3AW as Sly of the Underworld, was awarded an AJA-ASEAN scholarship to study crime and corruption in South East Asia and a News Limited exchange to work with the London Sunday Times Insight team.

Dr Danny Sullivan

Dr Danny Sullivan is a consultant forensic psychiatrist and Assistant Clinical Director at Forensicare, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health. He is Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University. He trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital in London, and in Melbourne. He holds masters degrees in bioethics and in medical law. He regularly provides expert evidence in family law, criminal and civil matters, and has a particular interest in sexual offending.