The Evolution of the Phoenix Court for Youth Victims of Human Trafficking

By:  Scott LeRoy, Deputy Court Administrator
        Annette Ellison, Clinical Social Worker
        Rebecca Stowell, Senior Juvenile Court Officer

In early 2017, the Juvenile Division of the 30th Judicial Circuit Court embarked on developing a treatment court to address the issue of sexual exploitation and commercial trafficking of Ingham County youth.  As the plan unfolded, the court realized that this challenging work would require a multidisciplinary approach.  After months of research, training, site visits, and technical assistance through the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO), Phoenix Court began.  The court, formed by the vision of Judge Laura Baird, is a collaboration between the Circuit Court Juvenile Division, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office, and privately contracted attorneys.

Phoenix Court accepted its first participant on November 30, 2017, and held its first graduation on April 11, 2019.  During that time, Phoenix Court accepted and supported 14 youth to help them fulfill Phoenix Court’s mission of providing services and opportunities that foster “healing and resiliency, empowerment and stability, and value in relationships that are secure, trustworthy, and enriching.”  Our youth were all identified and referred through screens completed by juvenile court officers and/or Child Protective Services investigations.  Of the 14 youth served, 11 were referred by the court and 3 were referred by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) through a dependency petition.  Through this journey, we have experienced struggles and challenges, and we’ve learned what’s essential for positive outcomes.


There is presently no evidenced-based therapy designed to specifically treat commercially and sexually exploited youth.  However, other evidenced-based practices can be used to treat what is known about this population.  For example, exploited youth typically have a higher amount of complex trauma than their peers.  As a result, they tend to experience the following symptoms at higher rates:  emotional dysregulation; low distress tolerance; engagement in high-risk behaviors; attachment issues; poor self-concept; anxiety; agitation; suicidality; running away; and substance use. Therefore, trauma-informed practices are critical.  

Adapting models such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are helpful, but, even then, interventions should be tailored to meet the individual treatment needs of the youth.  Given an exploited youth’s low distress tolerance, following any model exactly as written may not be as effective as it is with youth who have not been exploited.  
Drawing from Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic theories help youth to identify the link between their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and outcomes; help them reframe core beliefs that are rooted in shame and promote self-defeating behaviors; and assist them with identifying how to meet their emotional needs in more adaptive ways that better serve them.  Crisis intervention, psychoeducation, sensory work, and mindfulness are also effective.  


Phoenix Court has found that the Seeking Safety Curriculum is a great compliment to the treatment process.  It is empirically based and involves present-focused coping skills therapy to help youth attain safety from trauma and substance abuse.  The therapy focuses on safe coping in their relationships, thinking, behavior, and emotions.  It is important to note that treatment providers should be flexible in their service delivery.  There are times when safety, stability, and engagement take priority over any trauma work.

Complex trauma causes disruption of an interpersonal nature.  Youth in Phoenix Court have commonly experienced unmet basic emotional needs such as love, connection, validation, safety, and belonging.  Therefore, any treatment approach should be relational and operate from an attachment framework.  For youth in the Phoenix Court, members of the treatment team, mentors, and community partners become healthy attachment figures with whom they can find dependability not only while in the program, but also beyond.  

When the parents or guardians are not complicit in the exploitation, work is done to help repair and address conflict within those relationships.  It is important for us to learn the attachment styles of our youth.  Understanding how some of their interpersonal styles have been born out of survival leads us to provide unconditional positive regard and empathy, rather than responding in a punitive rejecting manner.  Through this process, youth become more trusting, experience intimacy in its healthiest form, and improve their ability to tolerate distress at improved levels.  Surrounding them with this type of support helps alleviate the feelings of isolation that so many exploited youth experience.  We are hopeful that by operating from an attachment framework they will no longer be vulnerable to the grooming process used by traffickers and those who prey on them for the purposes of exploitation.

For youth who are either targeted or drawn to the lifestyle for the purpose of what is known as “survival sex” (e.g., sex acts for housing, food, transportation, and/or drugs), safety planning is imperative to identify more adaptive ways to get basic needs met.  Identification of safe respite options within the community — and providing routines, structures, and expectations for them to meet — is critical in addressing the issues of instability.  Providing these services also equips youth in Phoenix Court with the skills to identify community resources and create their own positive social support network.


An integral part of the process is the team approach to case decision making.  Communication has been the most essential component of the treatment team’s success.  Phase promotions, extra privileges, and sanctions are communicated to the team in order to maintain a balanced and consistent response.  The team approach has been beneficial in other arenas as well.  The youth’s attorney has appeared in court when a parent could not make it.  The parent’s attorney works to ensure the parent’s voice is heard and they are educated on the legal process, which equips them to be better supporters of their child’s treatment.  Furthermore, the court communicates with DHHS workers who understand the process and work collaboratively to ensure the youth and families receive appropriate services. 

The juvenile court officer (JCO) interfaces with the youth multiple times a week, both in person and by phone.  Support is provided to assist the youth with responding to challenging situations with appropriate coping skills.  Specialized training in Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) assists the JCO in providing evidenced-based interventions working with youth and families.  Cognitive behavioral interventions such as positive coping skills, social skill practice, thinking chains, pro and con lists, problem-solving exercises, and short- and long-term goal planning are used to promote positive results.

We also learned that when youth feel empowered there is a greater buy-in and level of investment in their treatment and commitment to a healthier lifestyle.  Therefore, we partner with our youth and use a strength-based, youth-directed approach.  We tap into those qualities and skills they already possess, ensuring that their voices are heard and that they are given opportunities to advocate for themselves.

Throughout Phoenix Court’s evolution,  ancillary programming was developed as needs presented themselves.  Unlike some components of the juvenile justice system, Phoenix Court has been inundated with providers wanting to offer services for youth.  However, the approach taken by the team was to first identify a need and then connect the youth to their community.  Taking a client-centered approach allows the youth to be matched with services that meet each of their specific needs. 

To date, the Phoenix Court has partnered with Peckham, Inc.; The Firecracker Foundation; EmPOWer Lansing; and the Michigan State University Residential College of Arts and Humanities.  Collectively, these agencies provide opportunities for youth in Phoenix Court to strengthen their treatment by participating in art therapy, yoga, and exercise.  Educating youth about resources in their community has allowed for services to continue beyond Phoenix Court.  Furthermore, by limiting the number of service providers, the team was able to make sure youth received quality programming while ensuring fidelity to Phoenix Court’s mission.

This reflection of the last 18 months of Phoenix Court is not inclusive of all we have learned.  Phoenix Court continues to evolve and adapt to our youths’ needs.  Through ongoing training, technical assistance, and the education we have received from each participant’s perspective, we can look beyond the shadows and bring light to a world of darkness for future youth, community partners, and professionals.

For more information, please see the contacts below:
Scott LeRoy, Deputy Court Administrator (sleroy@ingham.org)
Annette Ellison, Clinical Social Worker (aellison@ingham.org)
Rebecca Stowell, Senior Juvenile Court Officer (rstowell@ingham.org) 

Scott LeRoy is the Deputy Court Administrator for the 30th Judicial Circuit Court and oversees the Juvenile Division.  He began his career with the Circuit Court in the spring of 2003 and has held various positions: Juvenile Court Officer, Senior Juvenile Court Officer, Family Center Supervisor, and Juvenile Programs Director.  He is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA) and Grand Valley State University (MPA).

Scott LeRoy, Annette Ellison, Rebecca Stowell

Annette Ellison is a Licensed Master Social Worker who received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.  For a little over 20 years, she has treated youth and their families within the juvenile justice system in both residential and community-based settings.  While being employed by Ingham County’s 30th Judicial Circuit Court Juvenile Division for the last 11 years, her passion, clinical training, and expertise have been called upon to provide treatment and assist with creative program development in order to meet the needs of the youth and families served by the court. She currently serves as the primary therapist for Phoenix Treatment Court and sits on its Steering Committee.

Rebecca Stowell, MSW, is a Senior Juvenile Court Officer with the 30th Judicial Circuit Court - Juvenile Division.  Rebecca has 20 years of experience working with at-risk youth and families, having spent the last 13 years at the court.  She has worked within the Intensive Neglect Services, Family Support Services, Community Placement Program, and Phoenix Court programs within the court and has extensive training in cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions, trauma, motivational interviewing, and human trafficking.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a concentration in Criminal Justice at Central Michigan University in 2001 and her Masters in Social Work at Michigan State University in 2006.