Interviewed by Maegan Meacham

Domestic Violence Services Of Benton and Franklin Counties Contact Information Business Office:3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Suite C140 Kennewick, WA (509) Fax: (509) Hour Crisis Line (800) and Shelter: (509) Website:

Domestic Violence Services (DVS) Mission: To advocate for and empower domestic violence victims by providing free, safe, and confidential shelter and support services. Services provided by DVS:  24-hour crisis line and advocacy  Emergency shelter  Children’s programs within the shelter  Women’s support groups  Legal advocacy  Community education and training  Emergency cell phones for 911 calls All services are free and confidential!

These are cutouts that are kept in the DVS business office, representing two people in our area who died as a result of domestic violence. These are used in an annual vigil to honor those who have died this tragic way. The families of these two people donated the pictures for the cutouts, and spoke about domestic violence at the vigils. These put a very real face on domestic violence for me. It was really sad to see the pictures of these people loving the life that was eventually taken from them, and pictures of the families they left behind.

Many of the DVS services are offered at the business office. This is a room for the children of domestic violence victims to play in, while their parents or caretakers are meeting with an advocate.

Katie’s Job  In June, Katie will have been a domestic violence advocate for 2 years! Congrats, Katie!  Before working for the county as an advocate, Katie worked in the medical field, eventually becoming a resident care manager, where she mainly worked with the elderly. She completed her Human Services degree at Columbia Basin College.  She has now has MANY duties, which change depending on the day.  Katie is out stationed at the Kennewick Police Department. This means that not only does she work in the DVS business office, but she also usually spends part of her day at the police department.  At the police department, Katie reviews incidence reports, and then either calls or sends a letter to each victim of domestic violence.

An overview of Katie’s daily activities  Monday: Katie is mostly at the police department, but holds a clinic at the courthouse in the afternoon.  Tuesday: Katie is in meetings all day to learn how to better serve the community.  Wednesday: Katie uses this time to meet with clients, catch up on paperwork, and has more meetings.  Thursdays and Fridays: After visiting the police station, Katie attends court with her clients.  On any given day Katie may meet with clients, take in donations, attend community events as a DVS representative, and do paperwork.

With all that she does, I wanted to know: How does Katie avoid burnout or vicarious trauma?  Katie said that it is really not hard for her to avoid burnout or VT right now  Katie explained that she handles her job because:  She has no time to think about work! She goes to class right after work, which puts her in a different setting and gives her new things to think about.  Everyone she works with debriefs with each other. Talking about what you are going through, problems you are having, and the issues you have faced that day can really help.  However, Katie does NOT talk to her family about the stressful things she has seen or heard at work. Talking to other professionals (her co-workers) is healthier because they understand, and can debrief with you. Talking to your family may be breaching confidentiality, and puts unfair stress on your family members.

What Katie likes about her job  Doing community outreach and attending community events  It feels good to know that you are helping, or at least informing people  Getting up in the morning  Finding ways to stay motivated  Trying to stay focused on the overall goal, and not focusing on the setbacks you see Likes MostLikes Least Katie loves what she does because she is passionate about the cause. I think that is what makes her so good at her job!

What is the cause of domestic violence?  Katie believes violence keeps occurring because it is handed down from generation to generation.  Children are exposed to violence at home and do not receive help, then grow up to perpetrate violence themselves. This creates a cycle of violence.  The key to prevention is breaking the cycle. Katie believes community education and outreach is most important. She believes this includes outreach in schools, and teaching teens about dating violence.

Essential Elements of Intervention  Katie brought up some great points about intervention that I hadn’t thought of. She believes that:  Interacting with law enforcement is a pivotal point for victims of domestic violence. Officers are in a position of power, and how they treat and interact with victims is very important to how those victims are going to view law enforcement in the future, and whether or not they will turn to law enforcement.  Systems that the victim becomes involved with need to have an understanding of domestic violence and its dynamics. Systems like law enforcement, CPS, and the court system all can have a big influence on the victim’s life, and it is important for these systems to really help victims, instead of oppressing them further.

What do we, future professionals, need to know?  We all (including future social workers, counselors, and officers of the law) need to have a good understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence. We need to understand the barriers domestic violence victims face, and the reasons why they stay.  We need to be a continuous support. We need to be helpful and understanding, not judgmental. We need to think about the influence we may have on any victim we meet.  We need to realize that every case, every situation, and every victim and perpetrator is different.  We need to remember to really listen to our clients, and remember that they know their own situation better than anyone else. Only they know what is reality for them.

Katie and I talked about a lot of different things, and she gave me a tour of the office and explained who worked there and what they did. It was very informative. The best thing about talking to Katie was that she made me think about things that I had never thought of before, and think about things in a new way. She explained that not everyone has the passion for domestic violence to work in that field, but I can tell that she definitely does!