Does your job involve interviewing trauma survivors?

In the aftermath of trauma, a survivor will probably have to recount what happened to them several times – to service providers, to medical staff, to counselors, to law enforcement, to lawyers, and maybe to reporters.

Many of these interviewers have not been trained on how to make the encounter less stressful for themselves or the survivor. Interviewers may not understand how a traumatized body and brain react and may become frustrated or misinterpret what they are seeing, leading to the survivor feeling dismissed or judged.

The goal of many survivor interviews is to obtain a “coherent narrative”, which is essential not only for reporting but also for helping the survivor process the trauma. However given the way trauma impacts memory, without some support and structure, a concise, chronological narrative might be the last thing the survivor’s traumatized brain can produce.

Echo’s new training, Trauma-informed Interviewing, gives you a brief overview of the impact of trauma as well as practical tips on how to support a trauma survivor during an interview. We will be looking at how trauma impacts memory and equip you with skills to help create a narrative that is clear, comprehensible, and most importantly, healing for the survivor.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, October 17th, 2024 | 8:30am – 11:30am

Echo’s new training, Trauma-informed Interviewing, gives you a brief overview of the impact of trauma as well as practical tips on how to support a trauma survivor during an interview. We will be looking at how trauma impacts memory and equip you with skills to help create a narrative that is clear, comprehensible, and most importantly, healing for the survivor.