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Working with Victims of Crime: A Manual Applying Research to Clinical Practice
Foreword
The challenges that face people working with crime victims can seem daunting. Those who work in this area
often show an investment in this population that goes beyond the standard research study. An understanding of
psychological changes that relate to being victimized is a key part of understanding the crime victim's internal
world. The victim's ability to cope with the crime, crime-related trauma and later decision-making are an
important part of even the most basic personal contact. This document is based upon a 2003 Department of Justice
Canada publication entitled: Victims' response to trauma and implications for interventions: A selected review
and synthesis of the literature (Hill, 2003). In that document I explored the cognitive change in victims; how
victim characteristics, cognitive changes and coping skills impacts clinical understanding and interventions.
In that document, I intentionally focused on relatively recent research to reflect recent thinking in this area.
This manual is focused on applying these research findings to the daily challenges that face those who work
with crime victims, in any capacity. There are several reasons having recent research at one's fingertips can be
useful. First, having research support for your work can validate the work that you are doing. Second, front-line
workers can learn new approaches and get new ideas from research, improving their effectiveness and services to
clients. Third, it is my hope that clinicians, paraprofessionals, volunteers and administrative staff will use
this resource as a solid base on which to build an effective service. Finally, they can use this information to
educate themselves, victims and the victims' friends, families and other supports about the complex psychological
issues facing victims of crime.
Dr. James Hill is a clinically trained psychologist whose current work focuses in mental health and addictions
services. As a consultant he helps staff develop clinical and managerial skills to improve effective planning,
program delivery and policy development. He has worked as a clinical psychologist in Corrections Canada, where he
developed programs in Family Violence. Dr. Hill also teaches graduate courses in assessment as a sessional
lecturer at the University of Victoria. Through Department of Justice Canada he has written two reports
"Victims' response to trauma and implications for interventions: A selected review and synthesis of the
literature" in 2003 and "Working with victims of crime: A manual applying research to clinical practice" in
2004. Dr. Hill currently lives in Victoria, BC where he has a private practice.
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