Which practice is NOT part of reducing secondary trauma during repeated interviews?

• A. Space out interviews with breaks and advocate coordination
• B. Conduct lengthy interviews in one session
• C. Prepare the victim for each session
• D. Maintain consistent points of contact

Answer: (B)

The idea here is to minimize distress for the victim by controlling how and when interviews happen. Spacing interviews with breaks and coordinating with an advocate helps prevent overwhelming the person, reduces fatigue, and keeps each session emotionally manageable. Preparing the victim for each session lowers anxiety about what to expect and makes the process feel safer. Maintaining consistent points of contact builds trust and avoids the need to retell details to many different people, which can feel retraumatizing. Conducting lengthy interviews in one session, however, piles emotional load into a single, exhausting encounter and can push the victim toward distress, overwhelm, or rushed recall, undermining safety and accuracy. So the option that does not fit with reducing secondary trauma is running a long, single-session interview.