About
Please join us for a webinar on July 1, 2026 from 10am to 11:30am PST on What Advocates need to know about Non-Fatal Strangulation. This webinar will have a special emphasis for advocates working in the field whether in a shelter, in the courtroom, a domestic violence response team and/or a hotline.
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 webinar 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”
Questions
For Example: If a survivor mentions a physical fight, the partner "putting hands on them," or if their voice sounds hoarse, clearing their throat frequently, or appears to have trouble catching their breath, what could an advocate say?
For this webinar, Please send in your questions in advance. Given the limited time for this webinar, our presenters want to make sure we answer the most frequently asked questions while still saving time for questions at the end of the presentation. Please submit your questions during registration.
What You'll Learn
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.