Mid-Term Review Rose Marie Lichtenfels, MSW, MA, LCSW

Transition from a Grassroots Movement to a Specialty Area  Large influx of crisis organizations from the 1970s-1990s.  Recognition that immediate intervention is essential in alleviating stress related to trauma.  Professional recognition within the helping fields.  Division 56: Trauma Psychology, American Psychology Association (2006)  Accreditation standards set by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Educationally Related Programs (2009) and National Association of School Psychologists (2010).  The media has a significant influence on public consciousness of crisis after a large scale disaster.

5 Types of general Victimology  Those affected by a criminal act  Victim’s of one’s self (suicide)  The social environment i.e., victims of class or group oppression. Such as racial discrimination, genocide and war atrocities  Technological, such as nuclear accidents and improperly tested medicines  The natural environment, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes

3 Ways to Measure Crime 1)Official records of police departments know as Uniform Crime Reports, UCR  Uniform Crime reports are produced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Data is compiled annually and it began in 1932  It has been influential in providing a standardized crime definition  A drawback is that it only gathers information on crimes police know about and no information on victims

3 Ways to Measure Crime Cont. 2.) Surveys, that ask people about offenses they have committed  They are not affective for our purposes as they do not give us the information that victomoligist need to work with victims

3 Ways to Measure Crime Cont. 3.) Question victims about their how they were victimized  These types of surveys are only 40 years old and entails contacting people and asking them if they have been a crime victim.  There are 4 Generations of these types of surveys.  In 1979 the latest generation was launched and it is called the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

Characteristics of Effective Crisis Workers  Life Experiences – A whole person with a rich and varied background of life experiences.  Poise – No matter how out of control the clients is the worker must remain calm, poised in control.  Creativity and Flexibility – A worker has to be flexible in how they use the tools they have learned and creative enough to use them in different situations.  Multicultural Competency – multicultural perspectives in crisis intervention is a crucial component of the crisis workers attitudes and skill in helping people in crisis.

Characteristics of Effective Crisis Workers  Energy and Resiliency – Functioning in an unknown area requires energy, organization, direction and systematic action. A worker also needs to be resilient as they are not always successful in this work.  Quick Mental Reflexes – This type of work requires more activity and defectiveness than ordinary therapeutic work. A worker has to have quick mental reflexes to deal with the constantly changing crisis situation.  Growth Potential – A worker has to have the potential and desire to grow and change in this field.

2 Types of Crisis  Situational Crisis – An uncommon and extraordinary event that an individual has no way of forecasting or controlling.  Environmental crisis – A natural or human caused disaster overtakes a person or a group of people who through no fault of their own find themselves adversely affected by an event.

6 Step Model, Crisis Intervention  Listening 1. Defining the Problem 2. Ensuring client Safety 3. Providing Support  Acting 4. Examining Alternatives 5. Making Plans 6. Obtaining commitment

 Culture – “That complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, morals, customs, and capabilities acquired by a person as a member of society. It is a way of life of a group of people, the configuration of all the more or less stereotyped patterns of learned behavior which are handed down from one generation to the next through the means of language and imitation” (Adler 1997). What is Culture?

 Victims of a crisis base their ability to overcome the trauma by relying on their own set of cultural survival skills.  May be significantly different from the cultural skills of the crisis worker.  Not recognizing the client’s worldview may lead the crisis worker to make grievous errors in assessment and treatment of crisis intervention. Multicultural perspectives in Crisis Intervention

Victims’ Rights Now  In 2004 the federal passed a new Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights.  It is not a national constitutional provision but an attempt to make federal criminal procedure more accommodation and inviting to victims and witnesses.  Please turn to page 377 in your book.

Professionalizing Victim Advocacy  Victim advocates, the people who service victim clients, need an appropriate back ground and training before they engage in helping behavior.  Some states have implemented formal credentials for those who fill this role.  This has caused a code of ethics to be established for group.  Please turn to page 183 in your book.

Personal Crimes Homicide  Homicide includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, which is the “willful” killing of one human being by another  The Uniform Crime Reports found that there where 14,196 homicides in the US during 2013  Of that number 8.6% of the victims were under the age of 18  the largest number of homicides were between the ages of at 33.5%.

Assault Victimization  Two types of assault  Aggravated assault is the “unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury”. This type of assault typically involves a weapon and is likely to result in death or serious physical harm to the victim.  Completed or threatened Simple assault is defined as an unlawful attack that does not cause seriously bodily harm.

Reactions  There are a number of different types of deaths and each one will cause a person to react in a different way:  Sudden Death – World suddenly changed  Violent Death – Who is responsible  Human Caused Disaster – Unfairness and injustice  Homicide – Revenge and retribution  Suicide – Why did this happen

Rape and Sexual Assault are not about sexual desire It’s about Power and Control 18

Common Reactions of Victims  Shock and Disbelief  Recurring Thoughts  Intense Emotions  Self-Blame and Shame  Fears about Safety 19

 All of these feelings and reactions are normal responses to rape or sexual assault. It is also common for some feeling to resurface or new ones to emerge alter on in a survivor’s life.  Periods of stress, new intimate relationships, the anniversary of the incident, or situations such as seeing the perpetrator or testifying in court can trigger intense feelings.  Your approach as a first responder to sexual assault victims can significantly affect whether the victims begin the road to recovery or suffer years of trauma and anguish. 20

How to help someone suicidal  Take any threat seriously.  Remember: suicidal behavior is a cry for help.  Be willing to give and get help.  Listen!!!!!!

How to help someone suicidal  Ask, “are you having thoughts of suicide?  If the person is threatening suicide, do not leave them alone.  Remember: threats+previous attemtps+plan +means could mean a successful completion of suicide