LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Elizabeth Smart once said she never wanted to talk about what happened to her. On Friday, she stood before a room full of mental health professionals in Lexington and did exactly that.
Smart, a child safety activist, was kidnapped from her Utah home at age 14 and held captive for nine months. During that time, she was sexually assaulted, tied up, and threatened before being rescued.
Friday afternoon, she spoke as the keynote speaker at The Ridge Behavioral Health System’s annual winter conference, addressing professionals who work with patients experiencing trauma, mental health, and substance use disorders.
From silence to advocacy
Since Smart was a young woman, she has used her story to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. However, when she was rescued after enduring nine months of torture, she said it was the last thing she wanted to share…