Lisa Banfield S Visit To The Psychologist Opens The Debate About How To Help Victims Of Abuse

Even if that rule were in place and the abuse had been disclosed to police, experts who work with domestic abuse survivors in the province say bringing in law enforcement often makes those situations worse. “There’s not enough support even for those things that require mandatory reporting,” said Kristina Fifield, a trauma therapist at the Avalon Sexual Assault Center in Halifax. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.” Lisa Banfield had been in a relationship with Gabriel Wortman for 19 years before the night he attacked her in Portapique on April 18, 2020, setting off a rampage that would leave 22 people dead and several homes destroyed. Through Banfield’s interviews with police, the Mass Casualty Commission leading the public inquiry and her testimony a month ago, she described the extensive physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of the gunman. She said Wortman had put a gun to her head multiple times and threatened to kill her or her family if she ever left him. The only time Banfield said she went for help about the abuse was when she saw a psychologist in Bedford, according to a letter she wrote to the commission. He didn’t say when that happened. The therapist “supported me and encouraged me to leave Gabriel,” she said, and told Banfield that she was in an abusive relationship. But when the gunman found out Banfield was seeing a professional, she said he made her stop. “I knew if I didn’t, he was going to hit me. He threatened to confront the doctor. I was trapped,” Banfield said. Fifield, who is also Avalon’s representative in a coalition with other women’s groups involved in the research, said she was glad to see that Banfield had a safe space to feel supported, even if only for a short time. Kristina Fifield is a psychotherapist at the Avalon Sexual Assault Center in Halifax. (Eric Woolliscroft/CBC) In Nova Scotia, psychologists are required to report abuse of children or certain adults, including vulnerable elders, but not intimate partner violence. Fifield said helping people in abusive relationships is a complicated and often time-consuming process and requires a lot of trust – something that can be lost if the victim knew their case would be reported to the police. “That’s going to limit the conversation, it’s going to create a situation where a person isn’t going to … discuss what’s important and what their needs are,” Fifield said. Some medical professions in NS, including doctors, do have mandatory reporting responsibilities when a patient comes in with stab or gunshot wounds. Psychologists don’t. That sometimes means victims of domestic violence report to police with such injuries, Fifield said, especially in rural areas of the province where more people keep guns at home. But Fifield said she has heard many stories from women — the most common victims of intimate partner violence — that they are “not taken seriously” when police respond or they may be blamed for the situation. Fifield said she has also encountered people who have been told their behavior suggests they are not “victim enough” – which is “very, very harmful”. In cases where police believe there is not enough evidence to keep a defendant in custody, the abuser may return home, putting the victim at greater risk, he said. A Portapique neighbor, Brenda Forbes, has repeatedly said she reported the gunman’s abuse of Banfield to the RCMP in 2013. But the Mountie who received Forbes’ complaint told the inquest that he did not report anything about domestic abuse, except that the gunman was aggressively driving around the community. The best way to help people in these situations is to create a safety plan and help them navigate their options, Fifield said, which could include staying with a family member or waiting until open spaces in the nearest transitional home or shelter. “Often supports are not available because they are underfunded,” Fifield said.

Better coordination between services needed: Fifield

Ideally, anyone in an abusive relationship would be surrounded by a team of service providers who work together to make sure someone doesn’t go off the deep end, Fifield said. That would be similar to a strategy called “warm referral,” which takes the uncertainty and stress of finding resources away from victims, according to information from McMaster University’s nursing school. In this type of referral, the service provider makes appointments for the patient, including transportation and follow-up appointments. “There needs to be less silos between all these organizations that provide support for gender-based violence and intimate partner violence,” Fifield said. Simon Sherry, a psychologist and professor at Dalhousie University, agreed that appropriate funded support is the first step. Simon Sherry is a clinical psychologist and professor at Dalhousie University. (CBC) He said what’s missing is a provincial initiative to coordinate agencies like social work, police and mental health to share valuable information. “There’s no shared database. There’s no real communication. I wouldn’t even know what the police do or don’t know or what a community leader may or may not know,” Sherry said. “You need a government approach that includes real timelines and real funds.” Documents released through the investigation showed that in addition to Forbes’ complaint in 2013, the gunman had been reported to police for threats and illegal weapons in 2010 and 2011 — information that could help paint a full picture of what Banfield was dealing with at home.

Imminent threats to life are exceptions

Fifield noted that there are some exceptions to confidentiality, such as an imminent threat to a person’s life. If someone is in danger or a danger to themselves, the police and possibly the mobile crisis team will be notified. Sherry agreed that this type of threat would require notification of a third party to avoid harm, but not necessarily the involvement of the police. The province’s Standing Together initiative, which connects government and community organizations to prevent domestic violence, was awarded $1.8 million for 80 programs in 2019-2020. Additional funding was also provided to transitional housing during the COVID-19 pandemic through the provincial and federal governments. Nicole Hersey, spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, said community, government and criminal justice agencies work together on cases to “provide wrap-around services and support to victims, perpetrators and their families ». They wrote that the province is constantly in the process of improving our systems to ensure “everyone has the information and support they need to respond more quickly and effectively to complex cases.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, call or text 1-855-225-0220 for Nova Scotia’s toll-free line of support and services. Find a transitional home or shelter for battered women in your area through thans.ca. Call 211 for resources near you or to connect to the Men’s, Women’s or All-Gender helplines. In an emergency, call 911.

title: “Lisa Banfield S Visit To The Psychologist Opens The Debate About How To Help Victims Of Abuse " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Lee Cockrell”

Even if that rule were in place and the abuse had been disclosed to police, experts who work with domestic abuse survivors in the province say bringing in law enforcement often makes those situations worse. “There’s not enough support even for those things that require mandatory reporting,” said Kristina Fifield, a trauma therapist at the Avalon Sexual Assault Center in Halifax. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.” Lisa Banfield had been in a relationship with Gabriel Wortman for 19 years before the night he attacked her in Portapique on April 18, 2020, setting off a rampage that would leave 22 people dead and several homes destroyed. Through Banfield’s interviews with police, the Mass Casualty Commission leading the public inquiry and her testimony a month ago, she described the extensive physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of the gunman. She said Wortman had put a gun to her head multiple times and threatened to kill her or her family if she ever left him. The only time Banfield said she went for help about the abuse was when she saw a psychologist in Bedford, according to a letter she wrote to the commission. He didn’t say when that happened. The therapist “supported me and encouraged me to leave Gabriel,” she said, and told Banfield that she was in an abusive relationship. But when the gunman found out Banfield was seeing a professional, she said he made her stop. “I knew if I didn’t, he was going to hit me. He threatened to confront the doctor. I was trapped,” Banfield said. Fifield, who is also Avalon’s representative in a coalition with other women’s groups involved in the research, said she was glad to see that Banfield had a safe space to feel supported, even if only for a short time. Kristina Fifield is a psychotherapist at the Avalon Sexual Assault Center in Halifax. (Eric Woolliscroft/CBC) In Nova Scotia, psychologists are required to report abuse of children or certain adults, including vulnerable elders, but not intimate partner violence. Fifield said helping people in abusive relationships is a complicated and often time-consuming process and requires a lot of trust – something that can be lost if the victim knew their case would be reported to the police. “That’s going to limit the conversation, it’s going to create a situation where a person isn’t going to … discuss what’s important and what their needs are,” Fifield said. Some medical professions in NS, including doctors, do have mandatory reporting responsibilities when a patient comes in with stab or gunshot wounds. Psychologists don’t. That sometimes means victims of domestic violence report to police with such injuries, Fifield said, especially in rural areas of the province where more people keep guns at home. But Fifield said she has heard many stories from women — the most common victims of intimate partner violence — that they are “not taken seriously” when police respond or they may be blamed for the situation. Fifield said she has also encountered people who have been told their behavior suggests they are not “victim enough” – which is “very, very harmful”. In cases where police believe there is not enough evidence to keep a defendant in custody, the abuser may return home, putting the victim at greater risk, he said. A Portapique neighbor, Brenda Forbes, has repeatedly said she reported the gunman’s abuse of Banfield to the RCMP in 2013. But the Mountie who received Forbes’ complaint told the inquest that he did not report anything about domestic abuse, except that the gunman was aggressively driving around the community. The best way to help people in these situations is to create a safety plan and help them navigate their options, Fifield said, which could include staying with a family member or waiting until open spaces in the nearest transitional home or shelter. “Often supports are not available because they are underfunded,” Fifield said.

Better coordination between services needed: Fifield

Ideally, anyone in an abusive relationship would be surrounded by a team of service providers who work together to make sure someone doesn’t go off the deep end, Fifield said. That would be similar to a strategy called “warm referral,” which takes the uncertainty and stress of finding resources away from victims, according to information from McMaster University’s nursing school. In this type of referral, the service provider makes appointments for the patient, including transportation and follow-up appointments. “There needs to be less silos between all these organizations that provide support for gender-based violence and intimate partner violence,” Fifield said. Simon Sherry, a psychologist and professor at Dalhousie University, agreed that appropriate funded support is the first step. Simon Sherry is a clinical psychologist and professor at Dalhousie University. (CBC) He said what’s missing is a provincial initiative to coordinate agencies like social work, police and mental health to share valuable information. “There’s no shared database. There’s no real communication. I wouldn’t even know what the police do or don’t know or what a community leader may or may not know,” Sherry said. “You need a government approach that includes real timelines and real funds.” Documents released through the investigation showed that in addition to Forbes’ complaint in 2013, the gunman had been reported to police for threats and illegal weapons in 2010 and 2011 — information that could help paint a full picture of what Banfield was dealing with at home.

Imminent threats to life are exceptions

Fifield noted that there are some exceptions to confidentiality, such as an imminent threat to a person’s life. If someone is in danger or a danger to themselves, the police and possibly the mobile crisis team will be notified. Sherry agreed that this type of threat would require notification of a third party to avoid harm, but not necessarily the involvement of the police. The province’s Standing Together initiative, which connects government and community organizations to prevent domestic violence, was awarded $1.8 million for 80 programs in 2019-2020. Additional funding was also provided to transitional housing during the COVID-19 pandemic through the provincial and federal governments. Nicole Hersey, spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, said community, government and criminal justice agencies work together on cases to “provide wrap-around services and support to victims, perpetrators and their families ». They wrote that the province is constantly in the process of improving our systems to ensure “everyone has the information and support they need to respond more quickly and effectively to complex cases.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, call or text 1-855-225-0220 for Nova Scotia’s toll-free line of support and services. Find a transitional home or shelter for battered women in your area through thans.ca. Call 211 for resources near you or to connect to the Men’s, Women’s or All-Gender helplines. In an emergency, call 911.