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Helping Victims of Crime
Being the victim of a crime can be very traumatic. Even being the victim of a non-violent crime, like being the target of a peeping tom, can be extremely traumatic. Victims often turn to their closest friends or loved ones to help them cope. But if you are untrained, even with your best intentions, your actions may well hinder the victim’s recovery. As such, if you are untrained, you should refrain from counseling the victim and encourage them to seek professional help.
Having said that, how do you help if your friend or loved one turns to you? You definitely cannot say no. The following are two things you need to keep in mind as you act as the bridge to them getting professional help.
First — Restore Sense of Control
At the heart of dealing with the psychological trauma victims feel, is the sense of a loss of control. As such, fundamental to psychological recovery, is establishing the victim’s sense of control. A key concept taught by the Israeli Defense Force that I have found the most helpful is breaking the victim mentality.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when helping victims is to treat them as victims. In the immediate aftermath of a crime, first responders “feel sorry” for the victim and instinctively…
