Forensic Interviewing and Conducting Trauma-Informed Investigations

Chamberlain Student Center Room 221B&C

Title IX administrators and investigators have the challenging job of conducting investigations and adjudications of student conduct where the level of trauma experienced by a survivor of sexual abuse or intimate partner violence can be magnified by the complainant’s involvement in an often-lengthy, emotionally taxing, and sometimes traumatic process. Our goal should be two-fold: to conduct interviews geared to elicit the most truthful and accurate information from those who have either experienced a traumatic event, series of events, or adversity AND to do so while limiting or preventing further traumatization or re-victimization in the course of the interview. By incorporating the forensic interviewer model and knowledge of the effects of trauma and disclosure, you will leave with a framework for conducting trauma-informed investigations.