DIVERSITY & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Question 1

True or False - Victim services provides short-term emotional support and practical assistance to victims of crime

Answer 1

True

Question 2

True or False - One aspect of trauma informed care is assuming that everyone has experienced trauma at some point in their life.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

True or False - Victims should have access to information about the progress of investigations that relate to the crime.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

True or False - The Police Services Act demands that police provide adequate support to victims.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

Every contact with someone is an opportunity to ________ or hurt.

Answer 5

Help

Question 6

The term victim can be __________ and disempowering

Answer 6

Demeaning

Question 7

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.

Answer 7

Impact

Question 8

The mandate for how we treat victims of crime comes from the following directives:

Answer 8

● 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

Question 9

In the Federal context a Victim is

Answer 9

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. 

Question 10

Types of Victims

Answer 10

Primary, Secondary

Question 11

What are Secondary victims?

Answer 11

● Family Members
●Friends, Neighbors, Colleagues
● You and I

Question 12

Victims are ultimately _______________

Answer 12

SURVIVORS (simple change in wording can return some sense of power to a victim.)

Question 13

What is Trauma?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Physical Symptoms of trauma?

Answer 14

● Nausea
● Exhaustion/fatigue or insomnia
● Chest pain
● Headaches
● Profuse sweating
● Hair loss
● Chills

Question 15

Emotional/ Psychological symptoms to trauma?

Answer 15

● Confusion
● Memory problems
● Anxiety
● Guilt
● Depression
● Intense anger/irritability
● Agitation

Question 16

Relational symptoms to trauma?

Answer 16

● Withdrawal/isolation
● Substance abuse
● Unemployment or underemployment
● Homelessness
● Incarceration

Question 17

Behavioural symptoms to trauma?

Answer 17

● Paranoia
● Eating disorders
● Self medication
● Change in sexual functioning
● Crying
● Accident proneness

Question 18

Symptoms to PTSD?

Answer 18

● Persistent re-experience of event
● Persistent avoidance
● Increased arousal
● Symptoms last more than a month

Question 19

Financial Symptoms to trauma?

Answer 19

● Property loss or damage
● Lost wages due to inability to work
● Child care expenses
● Funeral expenses

Question 20

What are 6 main symptoms to trauma?

Answer 20

Physical, Emotional/Psychological, Relational, Behavioral, Financial. PTSD

Question 21

What are the 4 ways to experience trauma? What do they mean?

Answer 21

● 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)

Question 22

What is Primary Trauma?

Answer 22

caused by events that happen TO YOU from your personal life or caused by work related exposure. 

Question 23

What is Secondary Trauma?

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

What is Vicarious Trauma?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

What are factors that contribute to trauma?

Answer 25

●Prior Victimization
●Type and Severity of crime
●Quality of Help and Support
●Personal Attributes
●Intersections of Trauma

Question 26

Grounding Exercise:

Answer 26

●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?