DIVERSITY & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Flashcards
True or False - Victim services provides short-term emotional support and practical assistance to victims of crime
True
True or False - One aspect of trauma informed care is assuming that everyone has experienced trauma at some point in their life.
True
True or False - Victims should have access to information about the progress of investigations that relate to the crime.
True
True or False - The Police Services Act demands that police provide adequate support to victims.
True
Every contact with someone is an opportunity to ________ or hurt.
Help
The term victim can be __________ and disempowering
Demeaning
A victim _______________ statement is something that can be submitted to the court prior to sentencing to outline how the victim has been affected by a crime.
Impact
The mandate for how we treat victims of crime comes from the following directives:
● Victim Bill of Rights
● Canadian Victims Bill of Rights
● Police Service’s Act (sec 42(1)(c)
● Your Service Policies and Procedures
●Policing Standards VA-001
In the Federal context a Victim is
An individual who has suffered physical or emotional harm, property damage or economic loss as the result of the commission or alleged commission of an offence.
Types of Victims
Primary, Secondary
What are Secondary victims?
● Family Members
●Friends, Neighbors, Colleagues
● You and I
Victims are ultimately _______________
SURVIVORS (simple change in wording can return some sense of power to a victim.)
What is Trauma?
Trauma OVERWHELMS someone’s ability to cope or to integrate ideas and emotions attached to an experience. The event usually combines fear, horror, terror with an actual or perceived lack of control.
Physical Symptoms of trauma?
● Nausea
● Exhaustion/fatigue or insomnia
● Chest pain
● Headaches
● Profuse sweating
● Hair loss
● Chills
Emotional/ Psychological symptoms to trauma?
● Confusion
● Memory problems
● Anxiety
● Guilt
● Depression
● Intense anger/irritability
● Agitation
Relational symptoms to trauma?
● Withdrawal/isolation
● Substance abuse
● Unemployment or underemployment
● Homelessness
● Incarceration
Behavioural symptoms to trauma?
● Paranoia
● Eating disorders
● Self medication
● Change in sexual functioning
● Crying
● Accident proneness
Symptoms to PTSD?
● Persistent re-experience of event
● Persistent avoidance
● Increased arousal
● Symptoms last more than a month
Financial Symptoms to trauma?
● Property loss or damage
● Lost wages due to inability to work
● Child care expenses
● Funeral expenses
What are 6 main symptoms to trauma?
Physical, Emotional/Psychological, Relational, Behavioral, Financial. PTSD
What are the 4 ways to experience trauma? What do they mean?
● Acute (Single event – time limited)
● Chronic (Experiencing multiple traumatic events)
● Complex (Exposure to trauma coupled with the impact it has)
● System Induced (a result of/reaction to the system)
What is Primary Trauma?
caused by events that happen TO YOU from your personal life or caused by work related exposure.
What is Secondary Trauma?
exposure to trauma that isn’t your own. You are not in actual danger, but you experience trauma through others, for example through interviewing offenders, victims, reading reports, debriefing colleagues, graphic testimony, crime scenes, video / photos, 911 calls.
What is Vicarious Trauma?
repeated exposure to working with those who have been traumatized. You might discover that your fundamental beliefs about the world have been altered or possibly damaged by being repeatedly exposed to traumatic material. This is a cumulative process, it does not develop after one or two occurrences but through repeated exposure.
What are factors that contribute to trauma?
●Prior Victimization
●Type and Severity of crime
●Quality of Help and Support
●Personal Attributes
●Intersections of Trauma
Grounding Exercise:
●Sit up straight with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the floor of your cruiser).
●Feel the chair/seat supporting you – feel your feet touching the floor.
●Inhale slowly – count to 5 mentally, exhale for a count of 5 and repeat 5 times.
●Notice what you see around you.
●Say out loud (or quietly to yourself):
5 things you see
4 you hear
3 you feel
2 you smell
●Lastly imagine biting into a lemon…how does your mouth feel?
