Preparing for Court Proceedings
An Info & Work Sheet for Survivors, Legal Advocates & Lawyers[*]
This Info & Work Sheet is designed to help people who have survived abuse prepare for court proceedings. You might want to work on it with your advocate or lawyer. You might want to write down your thoughts and answers to questions or you might want to say them out loud. Please tell us what you think about this Info & Work Sheet: .
Many people who have experienced abuse find that legal proceedings can bring up strong emotions, including reminders of past abuse.
We can experience strong emotions or be reminded of past abuse when wesee people from our past, orwhen we are triggered by certain places, activities, sounds, facial expressions, sensations, or by the dynamics or energy in a room. Being involved in legal proceedings can sometimes bring up these feelings. We might feel afraid, stressed, “on alert,” or “checked out.”
You can work with your lawyer or legal advocate to prepare in advance for strong feelings that might come up during legal proceedings.
- Go over “what to expect.”
For some people who have experienced abuse, knowing what to expect with a new experience can help reduce anxiety. Sometimes having more details is helpful and sometimes less. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear information more than once.
What do you want to know that will help you feel ready for court?
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- Plan to care for yourself in advance. You might ask others to help.
Different things are helpful for different people. You might practice relaxed, deep breathing. Maybe you can find something to bring in your pocket, such as a poem, a square of cloth, or a smooth stone. Maybe someone you trust can write you some words of strength to take with you, call you on the phone the night before, or go to court with you. If you use alcohol or other substances to cope, it might help to plan for an alternate coping strategy. The stress of going to court can also create risk for some people who are in recovery from addiction. If you are in recovery, it might be helpful to reduce stress by talking to a sponsor, trusted friend, advocate, or other ally to develop a short-term emergency relapse prevention plan.
What things will you do to prepare for court and take care of yourself at court?
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- Make a “what if” plan.
You may want to make a plan for what you will do if you feel overwhelmed, scared, or “checked out” while you are at court, such as while you are testifying. If you think the person who is abusing you might hurt you physically on the way to or from court, you can talk to your domestic violence advocate or your lawyer and create a plan for your physical safety as well.
Based on what you know about “what to expect,” what feelings might come up while you are at court?
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Have you ever had those feelings in the past? If so, what was helpful? Is there anything you think might help this time? For example, you might plan to take a deep breath, recite a line from a poem or song, think about how it feels to have your feet on the floor or your hands in your lap, or take a moment to notice small details like the threads in your shirt or something in the room.
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August 2013 / P: 312-726-7020TTY: 312-726-4110
Copyright © 2013 National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health /
[*]Based in part on Preparing for Court Proceedings with Survivors of Domestic Violence: Tips for Civil Lawyers and Legal Advocates, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health (March 2013).