I had scheduled a complainant’s interview in a sexual misconduct investigation. On the morning of the interview, I received an email: the complainant was sick and couldn’t make it. These things happen. We rescheduled.
A few weeks later, on the morning of the rescheduled interview, I received a text message: there was a family emergency, and they needed to reschedule again. Not a problem.
When it happened a third time, I was pretty sure we were dealing with avoidance. The complainant wanted to participate in the investigation, but when it came time for their interview, they didn’t feel they could go through with it, and they cancelled, hoping they would feel more prepared later.
It’s common for people who have experienced trauma to try to avoid situations and emotions that might be re-traumatizing; in fact, avoidance is a central symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and studies have shown that it extends beyond just avoiding reminders of the trauma. This tendency towards avoidance may lead a person to not want to speak with you about the concern, even if they were the one who initially brought the concern forward.
A central part of our role is to ask people to recount what may be some of the worst moments in their lives. While we take every step possible to minimize re-traumatization, the fact is, it will still be difficult to talk about the experiences we need to examine. Everyone processes trauma differently, and participants may have different relationships to their trauma response. But, taking the time to educate the witness about what they can expect from the interview, about any supports that are available to help them through the process, and about their autonomy over the interview process might help them overcome their avoidance response.
When I reached out to the complainant to reschedule their interview a third time, I asked if it would be helpful to review how the interview would unfold. That way, I could answer any new questions they might have. We revisited the idea of having a support person present, and the complainant decided to bring one. I reminded them that they were in control of the interview, and that we could stop at any time, even mid-interview, to take a break or to reschedule for another day. We were able to reschedule their interview and get through it successfully this time.
Trauma and its impacts are complex. Sometimes complainants discover that they need something different from what they initially thought in the investigation process. When we’re attuned to interviewees’ needs, and when we can be flexible in accommodating changes, we can help make the process smoother for everyone involved.
