Human-Centric Interviews (HCI) – Beyond Trauma Informed
45-hour on-demand online training
The goal of the HCI education course is to develop the knowledge and essential skills required to conduct and document forensic interviews with adults, adolescents and children who have experienced trauma and/or victimization as the victim or as the suspect.
Rooted in the neurobiology of trauma and memory, somatic understanding, intersectionality, and brain diversity, HCI equips professionals with an evidence-based, evidence-informed interviewing playbook designed to enhance information gathering and accurately capture the client's experience in an equitable and neutral manner.
Human-centric interviews are a part of the human-centered criminal justice process. The goal is to prioritize the needs, values, and experiences of people by providing a healing-inspired opportunity to deliver their expertise in their own words, actions, and understanding. HCI emphasizes that working with humans who are in pain requires that we respond with empathy, err on the side of compassion, and develop and maintain genuine human-to-human connections throughout the process.
Development of various types of interviews & interrogations, child forensic interviews, and trauma-informed interviews has all paved the way in which we seek to understand the human experience of victims, suspects, and witnesses of crime and tragedy. As we continue to learn about human behavior, memory, neurodiversity, impact of trauma, etc. we need to continue to apply advances in our knowledge and forge ahead to improve our practices.
It’s not just trauma or a traumatic experience we need to understand - it’s so much more – many other factors can affect the ability and motivation to recall. We need to seek understanding and connection through an intersectional lens to better comprehend behavior and recall, including past experiences, neurodiversity, complex trauma, non-linear memory, polychronic time, environment, and genetics, among other factors. We must connect with and understand the human in front of us as a human being facing what can sometimes be an inhuman system – we must be authentically human, most of all.
In this engaging course, participants will delve into the art of human-centric interviews, focusing on understanding the human experience through the lens of trauma-responsive care, trauma memory, body.ology of trauma (how trauma impacts the body, mind, and spirit), relaxation techniques, authentic human connection, and healing-inspired practices. This workshop is designed for multidisciplinary professionals across the criminal justice system seeking to deepen their understanding of human experiences through empathetic and compassionate human interactions.
Module One: Holistic Health and Self-Regulation
Forensic interviewing requires navigating painful, complex trauma. Prioritizing holistic health and steady self-regulation is the bedrock of trustworthy, effective interviewing.
Module Two: How Did We Get Here?
Forensic interviewing has been a long, arduous journey marked by harmful missteps and breakthroughs that have illuminated our practice. It is helpful to reflect on the past to envision possibilities.
Module Three: The Healthy Brain and Body
Trauma and high stress can trigger a domino-like cascade of change. To understand it, we begin by examining how the body and brain function in everyday, healthy moments.
Module Four: The Mechanisms of Connection using Authenticity, Empathy, and Compassion
Effective interviewing hinges on a genuine connection. Being an authentic human- embodying empathy and compassion- fosters that bond.
Module Five: Trauma and High-Stress
Trauma and high stress exert measurable behavioral impacts. Understanding the brain's defense circuitry enhances effectiveness when engaging with individuals who have experienced trauma.
Module Six: Trauma, High stress and Memory
Forensic interviewing involves the retrieval of traumatic experiences, a process that depends on a precise understanding of how trauma and high stress influence memory.
Module Seven: Implicit Bias, the Brain, and Applied Intersectionality
When considering brain development, remember that the brain grows within the social conditions it experiences. Our world offers numerous social environments in which development can occur. Brain development also varies among individuals: some are born neurodiverse, while others may develop neurodiversity over time. All of these factors shape the forensic exam in multiple ways.
Module Eight: Being Human Centric
Placing humans at the center of our work guides every client interaction. We must remember that "humans are going human," and we offer extra space and grace for the complexities of human moments- especially moments of pain.
Module Nine: The Human Centric Interview Modality
Achieving a human-centric interview requires employing cues and prompts that are demonstrably compassionate and effective. Conversely, many conventional interview questions can impede the process. We must know what to do and what not to do.
Module Ten: Let's break it up and practice
"Practice makes Progress." In this module, you'll have chances to practice and highlight your developing skills.
Module Eleven: Documentation
Each instance of documenting a retrieved experience must be conducted with rigorous care. We owe it to all the people we serve to document with clarity and integrity, in a non-biased way. These documents travel with them through the system- from trauma to trial to victims' compensation to the appeal process- the language we choose to use can influence outcomes in their lives for decades.
Module Twelve: The MDT- the Interviewer's Role
Within a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), the forensic interviewer acts as the central node for information gathering.
Module Thirteen: HCI Capstone Project
The HCI capstone serves as the final exam comprising of a testing component, an evaluative review, and an opportunity to demonstrate your new and improved interviewing skills.
Instructors:
Myra Strand, MA, CA
Russell Strand, Senior Federal Special Agent (Retired)
Basic Course Description:
The goal of the HCI education course is to develop the knowledge and essential skills required to conduct and document forensic interviews with adults, adolescents, and children who have experienced trauma and/or victimization as the victim or as the suspect.
This course is designed for individuals interested in conducting forensic interviews. It is also helpful for anyone who conducts or supports interviews and seeks an interview methodology designed to more deeply elicit the human experience.
Pre-requisites:
There are no prerequisites for this training.
This course is drop-in and on demand.
You will have one year from course orientation to complete the course; on average, it takes participants about 4-6 months. Myra and/or Russell will provide feedback and processing on each assignment.
Meeting with the instructors:
At any time during the course, you may email the instructors (one or both) to request a Zoom meeting. We want to make sure that you feel connected and supported.
Who this course is for:
Forensic Interviewers, Detectives and Investigators, Prosecutors, Title IX Investigators, Child and Adult Advocacy and Abuse Workers, Medical Providers, and Allied professionals. It is also valuable for anyone interested in an interview method that is a deep dive into the human experience.
Recommended course supply list:
-30 second timer
-Phone or other recording device to record with
-Friend(s) or Co-workers willing to be interviewed (there are several required interviews)
Objectives of the Course
-To emphasize holistic self-care as a core practice for interviewers
-To deliver 75 ways in which one can self-regulate and co-regulate
-To uncover the neurobiology of trauma
-To uncover the somatic expression of trauma
-To understand brain development from infant to adult
-To address intersectionality and neurodiversity
-To lay out the ideal softroom
-To discuss the importance of orientation as the first step to trust
-To make a case for “Connection” over “Rapport”
-To create cultural and bodily safety through intersectionality and Neurodiversity
-To create a foundation of empathy and compassion
-To unpack “Traditional Interviews” and “Trauma-Informed Interviews”
-To define Human-Centric Interviews
-To explore effective cues and prompts
-To emphasize the importance of after-care
-To analyze common pitfalls to success
-To articulate effective documentation
-To emphasize the importance of the MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team)
Start your learning journey today!
NUTS AND BOLTS:
→Are you interested in creating a group rate?
→Do you want to apply for a scholarship?
→Are you a non-profit?
If you have a tax-exempt form, please send it to us, and we will issue an invoice.
→Discounts are available:
☞ if you are a Florida CAC or working in New York.
☞ if you are current or former military.
☞If you pay by invoice rather than on Teachable.
Email one or both of us:
MyraStrand@StrandSquared.com
RussellStrand@StrandSquared.com