5.5.4 Advocate Debriefing

If you are volunteering as an advocate as part of an organization, you will already have a built-in support structure of which it’s important you take advantage.

If a survivor’s case is particularly challenging, it’s important to debrief with a supervisor. This is true especially if you have concerns about how you handled your advocacy.

It’s common for advocates to avoid reaching out for support because they think that their supervisor or other colleagues who could support them do not want to, while in fact they are eager to help their volunteers.

If you are an advocate volunteering with an informal network of other advocates, consider creating a peer support group so that volunteers can debrief after particularly difficult cases.

Monthly peer support groups provide opportunities for volunteers to talk about difficult cases and share best practices and lessons learned.

Debriefing and sharing in peer support groups can be done while still maintaining the survivor’s privacy and confidentiality.

When advocates share about their experiences, they are less likely to experience stress-related conditions and more likely to remain engaged and committed to their work.