My field of work involves interviewing people who may be survivors of traumatizing experiences. These experiences may involve mental and/or physical violence. Traditionally, investigators have followed standardized interview methods regardless of the type of occurrence being investigated. A strong focus in the past has been on the who, what, where, why and how, of an incident. There has been no true appreciation for the impact of traumatic events on an individual’s memory, or an acknowledgement that each person will respond to a stressful situation in a different manner.
It is now recognized that these “one size fits all” approaches to interviewing are neither effective, nor appropriate ways to address survivors of trauma. Indeed, traditional interview techniques are prone to re-traumatizing the survivor, and risk contaminating impressionable or volatile memories (viz. leading questions, confronting inconsistencies in recall). It is widely recognized that in order to conduct a successful trauma-informed interview, the practitioner requires specialized training and an understanding of basic neuroscience in order to be effective, and humane in their approach.
Both law enforcement and civilian investigative bodies are developing resources and training materials to assist investigators in establishing the skills to treat victims in an empathetic and sincere manner, while still achieving the objectives of the interview (i.e. obtaining factual, credible and un-embellished information). To keep up with these trends, it will be important to foster a culture of information sharing, mentorship and continuing education in the workplace, so the ever-changing requirements of the job can be met.
The article below is an example of a resource which was developed to assist investigators in the development of their trauma-informed practices:
https://www.ncvctta.org/post/interviewing-and-engagement-techniques-for-law-enforcement