Nikki Valila

Training Coordinator, My Life My Choice

**Nikki Valila** has spent the past 12 years of her professional career working with commercially sexually exploited girls. She brings a wealth of experience having worked for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office in the Child Abuse Unit as the lead Victim Witness Advocate on the teen exploitation cases. In addition to her role at the DA’s office, Nikki was the Program Director of an 8 bed group home for sexually exploited adolescent females outside of Boston. Nikki served as a consultant on teen exploitation cases at Germaine Lawrence often assisting in the intake of new residents, assessing the Stage of Change a girl may be in and assisting in coordinating sexual exploitation services on campus. Serving as the Children & Teen Program Coordinator at a domestic violence agency permitted Nikki the opportunity to understand the impact of domestic violence on children and to assist parents in ending the cycle of violence. Nikki has been a trained facilitator of the My Life My Choice Prevention Curriculum for over 8 years and has mentored and trained hundreds of direct care staff/clinicians/DCF workers and law enforcement on strategies in working with sexually exploited girls. Nikki is a dynamic trainer and advocate and works tirelessly to educate providers on how to provide a trauma informed approach when working with sexually exploited youth.