Trauma Informed Interviewing: Skills to navigate challenging and sensitive interviews

Trauma-informed interviewing (TII) recognises reaching out for assistance can be stressful and overwhelming. Challenging emotions may arise, such as embarrassment, shame, grief or anger. Survival responses may be triggered such as flight – fight – freeze – fawn. Establishing trust can be challenging for people who have experienced harm by individuals or institutions.

TII utilises this understanding to approach interviews with skills that aim to avoid or reduce distressed reactions. A trauma informed approach places as much control as possible with the interviewee, provides clear information about processes and paces interviews so the interviewee remains to the best of their ability within their ‘window of tolerance’, (emotional arousal within the person’s capacity to manage). This won’t guarantee an interviewee won’t become upset, angry, or distressed. If they do shoot through their window, the interviewer has the skills to apply co-regulation strategies to assist the interviewee to return to a place of relative safety.

Trauma informed interviewing is a skill required in many professions and roles.

Representing a client in a legal process:

Requires assisting a client who has been subjected to a wrongdoing and may be experiencing a range of trauma responses, to navigate the stress of a legal process that may be confusing, drawn out, perceived to be ‘unfair’ and reactivate the original trauma.

Delivering distressing or confronting medical information:

Communicating information that is upsetting and may also be traumatic requires the skill to communicate clearly and effectively while supporting the client / patient through a rollercoaster of emotions, such as shock, disbelief, anger and grief.

Investigating an allegation of discrimination, bullying or harassment:

The alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator will both be distressed. They may be concerned whether the investigation process will be unbiased. Trauma and distress may cause either person to be unable to provide a linear or coherent narrative. Aspects of alleged events may not be recalled or clear. Details may be confused or changed with retelling. This does not necessarily indicate being untruthful or lack of credibility. Similarly, a consistent, clear report of alleged events does not necessarily indicate truth or accuracy. Coherent denial of issues or events cannot be assumed to be accurate, or defensive responses assumed to reflect guilt.

Interviewing highly distressed individuals or trauma victim-survivors requires sensitivity, empathy, patience with a sound understanding and recognition of the impact of trauma on memory, behaviour and emotions. These are skills that can be learnt. This training will provide the knowledge required and teach skills to remain grounded, tolerate uncertainty, establish rapport and ‘enough’ trust to establish a working relationship.

This training can be tailored to the needs of your role and organisation.