The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce that it will host a 2 day intensive training class entitled “Introduction to the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI) within the Sexual Assault Investigative Response.” The vast majority of traditional training and experience applied to interview approaches and techniques have caused many interviewers to direct their questions to the higher functioning portions of the brain. Research clearly shows these portions of the brain are generally not involved in experiencing, reacting to or recording the traumatic experience.
The Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview© (FETI) process was developed to properly interview the more primitive portions of the brain. This technique not only increases the accuracy of the information provided, but also will greatly enhance the interviewer's understanding of the experience. Specifically, FETI is a trauma-informed interview process designed to induce information from victims of traumatic events without re-traumatizing them, and without destroying trauma memories. The Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview© is a highly effective technique for victim, witness, subject and some suspect interviews.
Attendees will learn techniques to enhance a trauma victim's ability to recall, reduce the potential for false information, enhance the investigative process, and reduce victim recantations and increase victim cooperation and participation in both investigations and prosecutions.
Topics Include:
· Key brain circuitries that determine responses in the midst of sexual assault
· Normal and brain-based but commonly misunderstood sexual assault experiences and behaviors
· Freezing, tonic immobility, collapsed immobility, and dissociation
· The neurobiology of trauma and memory
· Key principles of memory encoding, storage and retrieval
· Collecting psycho physiological evidence
· The Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview
· Best practices when working with trauma victims
· How to document a experiential interview
· Interview considerations for male victimization
· Interview considerations for Ethanol facilitated sexual assault
This two-day intensive training class is designed for campus law enforcement, and municipal law enforcement working with college campuses, prosecutors, advocates, campus conduct administrators, SART members, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, Title IX investigators, campus conduct panels, and mental health professionals. Please note, this class is only available at no cost for participants from Virginia. All others will need to pay the registration fee.
Partial In-service Credit for law enforcement officers and security officers is available.
There is no fee to attend this course. All training materials will be provided. NOTE: This training is being offered free of charge to participants. However, due to the cost and limited availability of this training, registrants who fail to attend the entire training and do not provide a 7 day notice of cancellation will be assessed $395 for the participant cost for this training. Substitutions will be permitted without penalty.
Participants are responsible for their transportation, meals, and lodging arrangements and related expenses.
Registration begins at 7:00 a.m.
Training begins at 8:00 a.m. and concludes at 5:00 p.m. each day.
Pre-registration is required. Course registration is being handled through the “You Have Options Program” website.
Due to an anticipated high interest in this course, all applicants will be placed on a "waiting list." The class coordinator will make the final selection of attendees from all applications received. Applicants will be notified by email as to whether they were selected to attend. Virginia participants please select the “pay by check” option when registering. DCJS will pay the registration fee if application is approved.
SESSION IS FULL-REGISTRATION IS CLOSED