In trauma-informed interviewing, what is the recommended approach to questioning?

• A. Open-ended questions and allowing breaks to encourage thorough, voluntary responses.
• B. Force quick recall and require detailed statements immediately.
• C. Avoid giving choices.
• D. Interrupt repeatedly to speed up the interview.

Answer: (A)

Trauma-informed interviewing emphasizes safety, trust, and empowerment, so questioning should let the survivor guide the story at their own pace. Open-ended questions invite detailed, unprompted responses in the person’s own words, reducing pressure, avoiding leading prompts, and capturing information that a rigid checklist might miss. Allowing breaks helps regulate arousal, gives time to process emotions, and supports voluntary participation, which tends to yield more accurate, meaningful disclosures. Together, this approach minimizes re-traumatization while improving the quality of information obtained.

Pushing for rapid recall or forcing immediate, detailed statements can heighten distress and distort memory; interrupting frequently disrupts the sense of safety and trust; and avoiding space for the person to describe things in their own terms can steer responses away from the survivor’s lived experience.