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What Happens In Mama's House...
Breaking The Cycle
2026 Connecticut Symposium
Date: August 12, 2026
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: UConn Stamford Campus, One University Place, Stamford, Connecticut
Where Breaking the Cycle Began
On August 12, 2026, What Happens in Mama’s House… Breaking the Cycle brought approximately 90 women together at the University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus for a full day centered on education, survivor voices, professional collaboration, resource sharing, and collective healing.
The symposium created a space where survivors of familial sexual abuse, incest, and familial sex trafficking could come together alongside mental health professionals, legal professionals, advocates, educators, law enforcement, court-based service providers, and community leaders.
A Full Day of Education, Connection & Support
The Connecticut symposium was designed to bring lived experience and professional expertise into the same room.
Throughout the day, participants took part in keynote presentations, educational sessions, survivor-centered discussions, legal and judicial education, breakout sessions, networking, and resource sharing.
The goal was not only to raise awareness, but to strengthen the way communities recognize, understand, and respond to familial sexual abuse.
What the Day Included
Keynote Presentations
Featured speakers opened the day with messages centered on resilience, healing, prevention, trauma-informed response, and survivor empowerment.
Survivor Voices
Women connected with Her Time and the Connecticut Hall of Change shared lived experiences, barriers to seeking help, lessons learned, and the types of support that made a meaningful difference.
Professional Education
Sessions explored trauma, exploitation dynamics, legal systems, coordinated community response, and ways professionals can better support survivors.
Breakout Sessions
Participants had opportunities to explore topics including the judicial system, trauma and memory, disclosure, credibility, survivor rights, referral pathways, and resource planning.
Resource Networking
Legal, mental health, advocacy, and community organizations shared information and helped participants connect with support services and referral resources.
Featured Speakers
Maria Trusa
Keynote Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur & Survivor Advocate
Maria Trusa opened the symposium with “Reclaiming One’s Self, Shaping One’s Destiny.”
Her work focuses on resilience, healing, leadership, forgiveness, and breaking the silence surrounding sexual abuse. Her keynote centered on courage, transformation, and the ability of survivors to reclaim their voice and future.
Tammy Sneed
Child Advocacy & Trauma-Informed Systems Leader
Tammy Sneed brought more than three decades of experience in child advocacy, juvenile justice, anti-trafficking systems, gender-responsive programming, and trauma-informed care.
Her session connected survivor experiences with the need for stronger systems, prevention strategies, and coordinated community response.
Presentations by
Jessica Levene
Center for Family Justice
Sharon Epps
The Rowan Center
Asst. State Attorney
Michelle Manning
Asst. State Attorney
Angelique Charon
Stamford Chief State's Atty Office
Amy Hyashida
Underground New England
Survivor Voices
From Family Secrets to Freedom
One of the central conversations of the day focused on the realities survivors face when abuse occurs within the family.
Members of Her Time and women connected with the Connecticut Hall of Change shared perspectives on:
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Secrecy and family loyalty
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Fear and isolation
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Community stigma
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Financial dependence
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Barriers to asking for help
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Therapy and mental health support
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Legal advocacy
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Peer support
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Safety planning
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Survivor-led spaces
The discussion helped professionals better understand what survivors may need before, during, and after disclosure.
The Beginning of Something Larger
The 2026 Connecticut symposium established the foundation for Breaking the Cycle as an ongoing movement and event model.
The goal is to continue the conversation in Connecticut while bringing the symposium to additional communities where survivors, professionals, and advocates can come together around the same mission.
A return to Connecticut is planned for August 2027, while expansion into additional communities is also being explored.
