What Advocates Working in the Frontlines Need to Know About Strangulation

We understand and appreciate how community and government based advocates often have limited time with a survivor, especially advocates working in shelters and answering the hotline. This course is designed to provide an overview of what every advocate needs to know about non-fatal strangulation and prioritizes rapid identification, trauma-informed questions, safety planning and the duty to warn.

Our presenters will briefly cover each of the following sections:

• Survivor Perspective – What victims need from you?
• Context – The Rage of Stranglers
• National Strangulation Laws
• Risk of Lethality
• Use of Risk Assessment Tools
• Medical – Terminology, Anatomy, Physiology, Signs and Symptoms & Health Consequences
• The Five Myths of Strangulation
• Identification – what questions to ask
• How to Respond
• The Duty to Warn
• Conducting an Intake
• Tips for Documentation
• Safety Planning
• Utilizing the “Advocacy Toolkit”

• Identify: Recognize the hidden physical and behavioral signs of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation when visible injuries are absent.
• Ask: Utilize objective, trauma-informed scripting to screen for near-fatal attacks during crisis calls and intakes.
• Protect: Implement immediate medical safety protocols and safety planning tailored to high-lethality risks.