There are a lot of people who are suffering from stress and trauma that are not getting the help they need. This fact is only exacerbated over the last year having to likewise deal with a pandemic where people lost their livelihood, were isolated, and cannot access resources and services they need. With this in mind, it is essential that we take it upon ourselves to extend empathy and be there for one another during these unprecedented times.

This session’s instructor is Katherine Manning, President of Blackbird LLC. Katherine’s professional background has been in training, consulting, counseling, advising, and advocating victims of crimes and on issues of trauma and victimization.

Specifics of this webinar are on:

• The limited view of victimization when in fact trauma can affect anyone.
• Statistics that establish the prevalence of trauma pre-pandemic and how this intensified further with COVID-19, civil unrest, and economic distress.
• How we all can carry trauma and how it manifests in different facets of our lives.
• Understanding trauma and its development based on processes in our brain.
• The mirror neurons that enable the concept of empathy, and its intersection with trauma.
• The five steps to an empathetic response to trauma.
  • How listening can have a healing effect, active listening techniques to employ, and how to manage our response when listening to some heavy stuff.
  • The importance of acknowledging and remembering to avoid denying or distracting the person from the experience they’ve shared, and we’ve listened to.
  • Why it is vital to share information, its role in regaining power and control, the things that we should share, and how to effectively share information.
  • The value in empowering the individual in trauma and giving them the needed tools and resources to overcome the trauma.
  • The critical step to return by ending conversations well and following up with the person in trauma later.
  • The internal part of return that recognizes compassion fatigue in ourselves and implementing deliberate steps to prevent and overcome it.

Questions from the audience are about:

• How to best acknowledge an individual’s story/statement while also managing expectations regarding the investigative process.
• Katharine’s definition of trauma.
• Making a person feel better in sharing their story in a peer dynamic/setting.
• Supporting youth in trauma in an age-appropriate manner.
• Respecting an individual’s expertise in their own safety.
• Why victims don’t pursue compensation.
• Taking a break when a story is creating an emotional reaction that deems us incapable of providing support.

Other Webinars with this Presenter

• Victim Rights in a Post Epstein World
• Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights
• Victim Rights: What Law Enforcement Officers Need to Know
• The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job (this webinar)

Resources and Handouts

• Chapter 1 of The Empathetic Workplace
• The One Page You Need on Your Desk if You Work with People
• Online Course: Understanding Victim Rights Flyer w/discount code

Audience Comments

• “The most valuable thing I learned is the empowering and return step. As a victim advocate, this webinar was very interesting. I look forward to reading your book.” — Veronica
• “I am currently involved in our Corporate Peer Support program and this entire session has been helpful to guide my education – separate from the training that I will receive from my employer.” — Sabrina
• “I appreciated how she broke down each element into smaller bits so that you can work through the process and know where you can learn additional skills.” — Michael
• “Practical application helps the most. The story about the parents who lost their infant and how the video was handled was very useful. Thank you.” — Brenda
• “LASER! Wonderful topic and a fantastic job! I’m buying her book and hope to have her as a speaker at our 2022 conference! Thanks so much!” — Jim
• “I loved all of the information, I printed out the material and will be using this in my job almost every day.” — Jennifer
• “How to help co-workers discuss a traumatic experience. How my response can shape their experience.” — Diana

NACP and D-SAACP Advocates can earn 1 CEU by attending this webinar through the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP)® and the DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP). Founded in 1975, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) is the oldest national victim assistance organization of its type in the United States and is the recognized leader in victim advocacy, education and credentialing.  To learn more about NOVA, visit trynova.org.