Description & Objectives

Continuing Education Hours: 1.5 CEs for LPC, SW, LMFT, and Psychologists - NBCC Approved

Description: Trauma is an emotional response to an event such as domestic violence or sexual assault. Immediately after these traumatic events survivors may experience shock, denial, extreme emotions, flashbacks, and cognitive disturbances that to an untrained person may lead to questions regarding the survivor’s credibility. Survival and fear can intersect causing survivor behavior to be unpredictable. This training focuses on understanding the impact trauma can have on survivors, the ways in which trauma responses can be misinterpreted, and utilizing empathy-based interrogation to elicit comprehensive and accurate information through non-confrontational interviewing methods. 

Learning Objectives:

  • To gain an understanding of trauma and its impact on survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault. 
  • To recognize the range of emotional and cognitive responses that can occur immediately following a traumatic event and understand how these responses can affect a survivor's behavior and credibility. 
  • To understand the potential for misinterpreting trauma responses and how this can impact investigations. 
  • To learn empathy-based interrogation techniques that prioritize survivor-centered and non-confrontational interviewing methods. 
  • To utilize these techniques to elicit comprehensive and accurate information from survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault.

Instructor

Demetrice Lopez-Loftis

Demetrice Lopez-Loftis is a law professor, practicing attorney, consultant, and former prosecutor specializing in gender violence law. For nearly a decade, Demetrice represented the State of Texas in the prosecution of violent offenders for intimate partner violence, intimate partner homicide, capital murder, sexual assault, sex trafficking, stalking, and other offenses. Demetrice was a founding member of Tarrant County’s Domestic Violence High Risk Team and led Tarrant County’s Adult Fatality Review Team where she and other experts worked to identify gaps in the legal system, correct systemic issues, and drive policy change.