Wisconsin Serving Victims of Crime Conference

I recently attended the Wisconsin Serving Victims of Crime Conference and have been meaning to blog about it. It was a three day conference held in Appleton, WI that attracted a wide variety of professionals (prosecutors, police officers, victim advocates, shelter workers, victim crisis responders, social workers, parole agents, etc.) and it sounds like it was the first of what will be an annual conference so for those of you who didn't attend this one, you will have a chance next year.

One session that I found especially helpful was a session on working with people who have cognitive disabilities presented by Mark Sweet, PhD, a Trainer & Consultant for Disability Rights Wisconsin (who also is a former teacher). Some points he made were that this is a group of people that have the most supervision yet are more likely to become victims of violence. The reason for this is that it is often those caring for them that are abusing them. So especially in cases where the victim is not able to communicate his/herself and we are speaking to someone else, we need to make sure we try and get at the perspective of the victim which is often very different than those around the victim. A victims actions may really be reactions to something that others don't realize they are doing. As I sat through this session I really wished that I had attended a presentation like this while I was still teaching because it likely would have affected the way I worked with students with disabilities.

Some other practical tips, I gained from this session that really apply to anyone you are talking to include giving time for the victim to process your questions and their answers. The presenter stressed that you are not helping someone if you jump in with more specific questions. The victim needs time to process especially someone with a disability and waiting patiently is something that is difficult for many of us. Also, direct eye contact can be intimidating (something I've noticed in working with certain clients). Dr. Sweet suggested having a different focus point like a drawing the victim drew right before speaking with you or court documents, anything that would help in not forcing the victim to make direct eye contact if she/he isn't comfortable with it. Additionally, if a victim is not comfortable looking at you while they talk, they likely aren't comfortable with you starting at them while you listen.