Tip Sheets
Managing Distress: Grounding Tips for Crime Victims, Survivors and Family Members of Mass Violence Incidents (MVIs)
This Tip Sheet features skills that allow you to stay in the present moment while you are being reminded of the past by focusing on grounding techniques and practices.
PDF Download: Managing Distress: Grounding Tips for Crime Victims, Survivors and Family Members of Mass Violence Incidents (MVIs)
Navigating Community Resources in Times of Crisis: A Tip Sheet for Victim Service Professionals (VSPs)
Navigating community resources during a public crisis can be extremely difficult. However, your role in serving victims in your community is more important than ever. This tip sheet provides with the information needed to effectively serve victims during times of public crisis.
PDF Download: Navigating Community Resources in Times of Crisis: A Tip Sheet for Victim Service Professionals (VSPs)
Trauma-Focused Treatments Versus Trauma-Informed Resiliency
Reactions to mass violence are wide ranging in both symptoms and severity. Almost all survivors will experience distress in the immediate aftermath of a mass violence incident. It is important that each survivor has access to the best interventions that will support their unique, individual journey to recovery in a manner that is culturally- and age-appropriate. This Tip Sheet explores the differences between Trauma-Focused Treatments and Trauma-Informed Resiliency.
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Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue Suggested Reading List
A reading list for first responders, victim service providers, and professionals who serve first responders.
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Grief and Bereavement Suggested Reading List for Providers
A reading list for providers who offer counseling or grief-related services to the bereaved.
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Grief and Loss Suggested Reading List
A reading list of self-help books that may provide comfort. This list is not comprehensive.
PDF Download: Grief and Loss Suggested Reading List
How to Identify an Experienced Trauma-Focused Therapist
In the aftermath of a mass violence incident, communities are often inundated with offers of help and support. This will include individuals who define themselves as trauma “experts” in delivering therapy or counseling to MVI victims. This Tip Sheet offers specific questions victims/ survivors can ask to help determine whether a mental health provider has the requisite knowledge and skills to deliver trauma-focused mental health interventions.
PDF Download: How to Identify an Experienced Trauma-Focused Therapist
Coping With The Holidays After The Death Of A Loved One
These suggestions were provided by Janice Harris Lord, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-ACSW) and professional counselor (LPC) in Texas. Lord's guidance is for those who have experienced profound loss enter the holiday season.
PDF Download: Coping With The Holidays After The Death Of A Loved One
Trauma Cues Related to Mass Violence Incidents
This Tip Sheet explains trauma cues and how they impact victims or survivors of mass violence. Trauma cues can be obvious or hidden, and often are all around you.
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Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness and Meditation
When there has been a life changing event like a mass violence crime, it is common to relive conversations or experiences in the past and to worry about the future. Being able to find mental and physical calm is an important part of resilience.
PDF Download: Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness and Meditation
Twelve Self-Help Tips For Coping in the Aftermath of Mass Violence Incidents
This tip sheet offers practical things that can be done to help reduce the distress created by MVIs as well as some self-help resources you may find useful.
PDF Download: Twelve Self-Help Tips For Coping in the Aftermath of Mass Violence Incidents
Mindfulness and Meditation
This guide dives into meditation and how to incorporate the practice into daily routines.
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Role of VSPs Readiness, Response, Recovery and Resilience Matrix
This tip sheet includes a matrix outlining how Victim Service Providers can provide assistance when preparing for a mass violence incident, as well as responding to and recovering from one.
PDF Download: Role of VSPs Readiness, Response, Recovery and Resilience Matrix
Helping Victims And Survivors Maintain Emotional and Physical Well-Being Throughout Court Proceedings
This tip sheet is designed for victim service professionals or victim advocates (VSPs) to help victims and survivors of mass violence incidents or terrorist attacks (MVIs) throughout trial proceedings relevant to their cases.
PDF Download: Helping Victims And Survivors Maintain Emotional and Physical Well-Being Throughout Court Proceedings
Coping Tips To Help You Through Court Proceedings
This tip sheet can help victims/survivors create a personalized self-care plan to strengthen your feelings of control over your participation in court processes.
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Tips for Community Leaders: Funding Victim Compensation
Provides suggestions and resources for community leaders tasked with managing victims compensation following a mass violence incident.
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Tips for Donors Following Mass Violence
Tips for community members, business owners, etc., who are looking to make a donation of their money or time in the wake of a mass violence incident.
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Tips for Community Leaders: Managing Volunteers
Helpful tips for community leaders who are managing a large number of volunteers following a mass violence incident. Provides suggestions to ensure that time and resources are used appropriately.
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Tips for Community Leaders: Managing Donations
A guide for community leaders who are tasked with managing an influx of money and material items that are donated in the wake of a mass violence incident.
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What Community Leaders can do to Support Victims and Survivors
Provides a high-level overview of services and support that community leaders can provide to victims and survivors of a mass violence event, and emphasizes the importance of mobilizing trained victim assistance professionals and establishing a full-service family assistance center.
PDF Download: What Community Leaders can do to Support Victims and Survivors
Tips for Community Leaders: Three Different Resource Centers Established Following an MVI
Following mass violence incidents (MVIs), it is encouraged that three different types of helpful Resource Centers be established by community and law enforcement leaders, and victim services and behavioral/mental health professionals.
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Resilience Following Hate Crimes
Provides strategies on how to cope with and respond to MVI involving hate crimes.
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Remembering Tragic Events: Creating a Permanent Memorial
Offers things to consider when creating a memorial for an event and the purpose it should serve.
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Community & Faith Leaders Commemorating the Anniversary of MVI
For community and faith leaders in an area where an MVI occurred, anniversaries present challenging emotions. This tip sheet details ways leaders can observe anniversaries.
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Tips for Civic leaders: Supporting your Communities Remembering of MVI
Highlights what leaders in the community should be doing following a mass violence event.
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Response: Victim Assistance Agency “Go Kit”
Serves as a checklist for agencies following an MVI.
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Role of Victim Service Professionals in Preparing for MVI
Highlights some tactics Victim Service Professionals use during the readiness phase.
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After Trauma Notification
Following a trauma notification, Victim Assistance Professionals have many important details to discuss with survivors and family members.
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After MVI: Helpful Websites and Social Media
Provides a list of websites and social media accounts that can be helpful following mass violence.
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MVI and Social Media: Guide to Hashtags
When an MVI occurs, social media becomes flooded with hashtags. This tip sheet details things to look for when trying to find information in the aftermath of the incident.
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Providing Sensitive Trauma Notifications
Provides information on sensitive trauma notifications and links to an online training course curated by the FBI.
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Guide to Agencies Responding to MVI
Explains the key roles that federal, state, and local agencies have in responding to MVI.
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Role of VSPs in Responding to MVI
Victim Service Professionals play a crucial role in the response phase to MVI. This tip sheet goes into detail on what is expected of them during this phase.
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Responding to Mass Violence: Developing Personal “Go Kit”
Suggests items that victim assistance professionals should have prepared to minimize the use of onsite resources.
PDF Download: Responding to Mass Violence: Developing Personal “Go Kit”
Unexpected Challenges for Communities During the Immediate Response of a Mass Violence Incident
While most obstacles that appear after MVI can be expected, there are instances where communities can be overwhelmed. This tip sheet goes into detail on some of the unexpected issues that can occur.
PDF Download: Unexpected Challenges for Communities During the Immediate Response of a Mass Violence Incident
Using Technology to Connect with Victims of Mass Violence Incidents AND Help Victims Stay Connected with Others
This tip sheet provides some examples on how those in victims services can help victims stay connected with others.
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How to Juggle Priorities and Shifting Responsibilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Managing priorities and responsibilities as a Victim Service Provider (VSP) during a public crisis can be extremely difficult. This tip sheet provides VSPs with the information needed to effectively serve victims during a public crisis.
PDF Download: How to Juggle Priorities and Shifting Responsibilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Helping Victims of Mass Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a high level on uncertainty to the live of everyone. This tip sheet serves as guide for victim service providers on helping MVI victims during this time.
PDF Download: Helping Victims of Mass Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Communities: Guidelines for Facilitating Victims, Survivors, and Family Members in Sharing their Stories
This resource is designed to explain how communities and community agencies can provide a safe and adequate environment for victims and survivors to share their experiences.
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Strategic Story Telling: Guidelines for Victims, Survivors and Family Members of Mass Violence Incidents (MVIs)
This tip sheet provides an outline on how victims and survivors of mass violence, and their family members, can safely share their experience with others.
PDF Download: Strategic Story Telling: Guidelines for Victims, Survivors and Family Members of Mass Violence Incidents (MVIs)
What to Wear for a Broadcast Interview
Follow these guidelines to help decide what to wear when going on camera.
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Additional Tips to Prepare for Media Interviews
This tip sheet outlines how Victims Service Providers can better help MVI victims prepare for the media.
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Media Guidelines for Homicide Family Survivors
This tip sheet provides information on how loved ones of a MVI victim should handle the impending news media coverage.
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Preparing for News Media Interviews
This tip sheet gives guidelines on how victims can better prepare for interviews and some of the resources available that they can use to their advantage.
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Tips for Crime Victims and Survivors: Guidelines for Media Interviews
These guidelines can serve as a planning tool to use when speaking to the media.
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News Media Engagement: Victim Autonomy and Choice
Victims must remember it is always their choice when deciding on whether or not to speak with the media. This serves as a guide to potential positive and negative consequences of giving an interview.
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In the Aftermath of MVI: Crime Victims and the News Media
This tip sheet serves as a guideline for how media members should approach victims of an MVI on the scene of the incident.
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Timeline of Activities to Promote Mental Health Recovery
This Tip sheet was created for Victim Service Providers (VSPs), Mental Health professionals (MHPs), emergency management planners, and others who serve victims impacted by a mass violence incident. It provides recommendations on the many different ways to improve mental health recovery for victims and family members.
PDF Download: Timeline of Activities to Promote Mental Health Recovery