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A
client can decide when, where, and whom to attack, on grounds that may be
totally irrational and indiscriminate. |
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The Safe Approach: Controlling Risk for Workers in the Helping
Professions It is amazing how little effort has been
expended by some agencies to train field workers how to survive violent
encounters with clients they encounter in the field. Proper training,
planning and preparation can prevent many violent incidents from occurring
and can enhance their ability to survive violent encounters. Depending on
luck is a poor substitute for taking constructive measures to prevent a
violent encounter. The current state of knowledge of safety procedures makes
your ability to stay safe in the field greater than ever. Yet more effort is
likely to have gone into the counseling and support that a worker receives
after an assault than that worker or that worker's agency devoted to worker
safety before the assault. When we first
started doing safety training for social workers and public health nurses in
1996 there were concerns from the field administrators the material being
presented might incite fear in the workers, resulting in them never leaving
their office. One of the first things that we do in our sessions is to ask
the attendees to take a moment to write down past work situations where they
found themselves in dangerous or violent situations. Many of them come up
with personal accounts of risk and injury. In other words, these people have already experienced the dangers of the job.
They are attending classes like ours because they wanted strategies and
techniques that allow them to overcome the fears and anxieties that they
already have experienced on the job so that they can continue to do those
valuable jobs. You can't
make yourself safe unless you have a true appreciation of the risks involved.
Only then can you adequately prepare for them. The best defense for any field
worker is to be prepared before violence happens. This often makes it possible for you to avoid
potential violence altogether, and can substantially reduce the number of
incidents that escalate to the point of violence. The old adage ‘An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure’ certainly applies here. Your body
will often react to impending danger before you become consciously aware of
it. When suddenly confronted with violence, your body will automatically
revert to an instinctive “fear-fight-flight mode.” It has been our experience
that workers often dismiss the physiological symptoms they are having when
they begin to feel unsafe and attempt to continue their interview or
assessment. They fail to trust their instincts. If you become aware that you
are experiencing these symptoms you should begin looking for the cause. If
you ignore them, you may end up being surprised by the client’s violent
outburst. Under these circumstances you will instinctively revert to the way
you have trained. If you have neither rehearsed nor planned a response, you
will be left with a basic “startle response” which is rarely an appropriate
response to a violent outburst. The social
worker has several disadvantages in violent situations. For example, workers
are expected to investigate families involved in domestic violence. Any
police officer can tell you that this is one of the most dangerous situations
that they encounter. Yet most social workers have nowhere near the training
and equipment that a police officer has when responding to such situations. A
client can decide when, where, and whom to attack, on grounds that may be
totally irrational and indiscriminate. On the other hand, moral and
psychological considerations that inhibit quick, impulsive action usually
influence the worker. Clients know
you won't make the first violent move. You may not want to use violence. You
may find violence morally distasteful. Nevertheless, it is very likely that
the client will not share your views. Faced with arrest, hospitalization, or
with the removal of their children, clients may feel that they have nothing
to lose. They may accept violence as a natural risk of their lifestyle. When
they act, they are only thinking of themselves. Usually there
will be some clue or danger sign warning of violence. Something about the
client's behavior will indicate his or her intent. Learning the body language
of violent clients is essential to your safety. You should watch for displays
of pre-assaultive behavioral that will warn you of an impending attack. They include the following: · Pacing or restlessness, rapid
breathing · Grinding of teeth. · Clenched fists. · Sudden immobility or coiled postures
indicating a readiness to strike. · Dilated pupils. · Flaring nostrils. · Sweating, especially when the
temperature and the client’s level of recent activity make perspiration
unlikely. · Trembling of the client's hands and
extremities. · Intent staring. The direction of the
client’s gaze may even indicate the client’s intended target. · Bobbing and dipping movements. If
the client begins to shift his weight he may be adjusting his posture to
allow himself to grab or strike. · Rapid mood swings. · Loud speech, especially if
threatening. · Bizarre behavior. Body language that
does not match the client’s verbal message. If the client is exhibiting any or all of these cues, the situation may be escalating. It |
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Volume
2 no. 5 Mabon/Alban Elved/Mean
Foghamar/Winter Finding 2007 |