Maintaining one’s composure throughout an interview may be the biggest challenge for investigators. This is particularly true when the interviewee talks about suffered or perceived trauma.

Trauma: An experience that exceeds one’s ability to cope, such as a threat to life, bodily integrity, or sanity.

Fortunately, investigators in our field have developed and shared techniques for conducting trauma-informed interviews. The PII team augments these best practices with our personal experiences interviewing:

• Survivors of torture and abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq
• Sexual assault victims on college campuses
• Victims of discrimination, slurs, and other forms of bullying
• Employees in toxic workplaces
• Death row inmates

These techniques improve our ability to connect with interviewees to obtain accurate and complete information, minimize the risk of re-traumatization, and pursue interviews with integrity.

8 Techniques for Conducting Trauma-Informed Interviews

1. Create an Atmosphere of Trust: Treat the witness with compassion and empathy. Introduce yourself and the process, ensure the witness is comfortable and understands they have some control of the interview.
2. Assessing Truthfulness: Trauma can affect a witness’s memory. If you suspect the witness is not credible, seek corroboration through other evidence.
3. Acknowledge without Affirmation: It’s imperative to maintain neutrality throughout the interview. Frame answers carefully to acknowledge the witness’s pain without affirming their account is truthful.
4. Read the Room: Know the cues of witness discomfort and take your time to frequently assess the witness – as well as yourself. Read their body language, check in with the interviewee, take breaks, or change the subject.
5. Self-Awareness: Be mindful of how you present, physically as well as verbally and emotionally. Remove your suitcoat, only make eye contact at the witness’s initiation and mimic their body language, assess your presentation – are you calm, relaxed, smiling, in control?
6. Reassure the Witness: The witness may have trouble recounting incidents. Gently tease out memory with open-ended questions, such as about sensory experiences (taste, sound, smell, touch). Let the witness know it’s okay not to remember.
7. Wrap Up: End the interview with less emotionally charged questions to help the interviewee transition back into their day.
8. Investigator Self-Care: Trauma can be contagious. Investigators may experience emotional reactions including PTSD related to their own trauma or witness guilt. Signs of secondary trauma include emotional exhaustion, social withdrawal, physical symptoms, and reduced productivity. Establish a self-care plan for these situations and always prioritize your wellbeing. 

For more information, please contact Keith Rohman at rohman@piila.com or call (213) 482-1780.