In focus: strangulation
The perpetration of strangulation is a serious problem globally. So, how can we improve our understanding of and responses to strangulation?
Animation: View/share/embed the short animation (5mins) about the dangers of strangulation.
This animation contains descriptions of and resistance and responses to violence and abuse.
The end of animation refers to two reflection resources: My Safety Kit and My Dignity
"Seeing the animation gave me the knowledge and confidence to ask the questions about strangulation." [VANS Social Worker]
Module: Building understanding of and responses to strangulationis available for individuals to view (includes Auslan sign-language) and organisations can apply to embed the module on eLearning platforms (short application required – no fees). Guidance for using Insight Exchange applies.
This module contains descriptions of and resistance and responses to violence and abuse. The module refers to two reflection resources: My Safety Kit and My Dignity
References: Open the list of references used in the module.
Feedback: Share with us your de-identified response/feedback to the module.
To support team responses, the foundational module (Strangulation) is being shared in a 90min virtual session.
This time-limited opportunity is being donated to support the understanding of responders.
Teams can make use of this opportunity and these resources to talk together about building on social, service and system responses to strangulation.
After completing the team booking form you will receive:
- confirmation of your booking date & time
- a ready-to-share invite in PDF that you can use to invite your team & a link to access the session
- a ready-to-share follow up flyer (PDF) for attendees, containing information and reflection resources
If you have questions about the session, please contact the Insight Exchange team on ([email protected])
Team virtual session structure: 90 mins
- 60mins view the digital module
- 30mins Q&A with Insight Exchange Associate Danielle Allen.
Danielle was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to explore collaborative responses to victims of interpersonal violence who have experienced non-fatal strangulation and traumatic brain injury in the USA and Canada. Read the report here Churchill Fellowship project and report.
AUSTRALIA
Follow the booking link to complete the booking form which asks you to select a specific date for your preference within the options below.
Q&A is with Danielle Allen.
Days and times are shown in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).
- 9am – 10.30am (AEDT) (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
- 11.30am – 1pm (AEDT) (Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
- 2pm – 3.30pm (AEDT) Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Check the session availability calendar here before starting the booking form. The calendar is for viewing (not downloading) as versions are refreshed with changes to availability.
NEW ZEALAND - EXTRA SESSION ADDED
There are 4 different options for team sessions (virtual) in New Zealand time zones.
Q&A is with Danielle Allen and Kel Forrest.
- BOOKED OUT - Wed 22nd Feb 2023 Time: 3:30pm-5pm New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT)
- BOOKED OUT - Fri 14th April 2023 Time: 1:30pm-3pm New Zealand Standard Time (NZST)
- BOOKED OUT - Wed 24th May 2023 Time: 12pm-1:30pm New Zealand Standard Time (NZST)
- OPEN - Thu 29th June 2023 Time: 11am -12:30pm New Zealand Standard Time (NZST)
Read the invite here.
CANADA
Follow the booking link to complete the booking form which asks you to select a specific date for your preference within the options below.
Q&A is with Danielle Allen and Dr Shelly Dean.
3 different options for team sessions (virtual) in Canadian time zones are now open.
- Thu 23rd March 2023 Time: 3pm – 4:30pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
- Thu 13th April 2023 Time: 3pm – 4:30pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
- Thu 25th May 2023 Time: 3pm – 4:30pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
Read the invite here.
The following free (donated) sessions have been dedicated to specific Health Professions.
Follow this booking link to secure a place at the 90-minute virtual session of the Foundations Module: Understanding and responding to strangulation.
Structure: 90min virtual session = 60mins Module (digital format (video)) + 30mins Q&A - Danielle Allen.
- Optometrists - Wed 1st March 2023 | 7:30am – 9am (AEDT)
- Dentists - Thu 9th March 2023 | 7:30am – 9am (AEDT)
- GPs - Mon 13th March 2023 | 6pm – 7:30pm (AEDT)
- Radiology - Tue 21st March 2023 | 7:30am – 9am (AEDT)
- Physiotherapists - Wed 22nd March 2023 | 7:30am – 9am (AEDT)
- Occupational Therapists - Thu 23rd March 2023 | 12:30 – 2pm (AEDT)
- AOD Services | Thursday 23rd March 2023 | 6pm – 7:30pm (AEDT)
- Women's Health Services | Thu 30th March 2023 | 7:30am – 9am (AEDT)
- Pathologists - Mon 3rd April 2023 | 6pm – 7:30pm (AEST)
- Dieticians - Tue 18th April 2023 | 12:30 – 2pm (AEST)
- Speech Pathologists - Thu 20th April 2023 | 12:30pm – 2pm (AEST)
SUMMARY OF BOOKINGS AND FEEDBACK
Read the running record of team bookings into the virtual sessions. Examples of feedback:
- “This was excellent. I learnt a lot of useful knowledge about how to respond and better understand this issue. I was thinking about the workshop for days and thinking of ways I could help share my learnings.”
- "The presentation is very informative, and I greatly appreciate the use of victim survivors' voices and experiences."
- "I thought it was fabulous, very easy to understand and to stay focused. I loved that it covered the Foundations as well."
- "Fantastic presentation- brilliant at locating responsibility, acknowledging resistance of victim survivors and using appropriate language."
- "A confronting but equally informative session. It gives more understanding about language used in relation to strangulation."
Read Booking Summary (Australia)
Read Booking Summary (New Zealand)
Read Booking Summary (Canada)
Reflections and insights from participants who viewed the module
Read participants key insights and reflections about what they will start, keep and stop doing in response to the module, and who they wish had access to the resources.
Select and share onward an invitation to people who may benefit from seeing these resources. Choose from the PNG file for social media or PDF for email.
The Arts Lab collections illuminate visual metaphors and symbols used by Insight Exchange participants as part of how they describe their lived experience. This collection of five original artworks by collaborating artist Lousie Whelan feature in the Foundations Module - Understanding and responding to strangulation. The anonymous voice of a persons lived experience of strangulation is presented in text across the collection.
Click on the image (adjacent) to open the collection in a lightbox.
Arts Lab Strangulation Collection | Artworks © Louise Whelan. These artworks were developed with Insight Exchange and each image is protected by copyright. To use images permission must be sought from Insight Exchange – Apply here.
The additional resources list is designed to support people who viewed the Insight Exchange Foundations Module - Understanding and responding to strangulation with awareness of a range of tools, projects, networks, resources about strangulation, concussion, and acquired brain injury.
This list of external resources is illustrative and not exhaustive or conclusive.
The list is alphabetised under each of the four headers:
- Organisations | Initiatives | Projects
- Online eLearning modules and courses
- Guides | Tools | Fact Sheets
- Other additional information or directly related focus areas
All Health Professionals are responders
The perpetration of domestic, family and sexualised violence (DFSV) can have long-lasting impacts on victim survivors’ emotional, psychological, spiritual, financial, physical, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing (1), including but not limited to chronic muscular and skeletal pain, headaches, memory loss, difficulty sleeping, mental distress, diabetes, asthma, use of alcohol and other drugs and digestive disease (2). Strangulation by an intimate partner can have serious health impacts and increases the homicide risk for victim-survivors by 7.5 times (3).
For women aged 15 to 44 years, intimate partner violence was ranked as the fourth leading risk factor for total disease burden. Health practitioners have a key role in supporting victim-survivors of all forms of violence and abuse (4).
All health professionals are well placed to listen to and follow the lead of victims-survivors who may reach out for advice or support in the privacy of an appointment with a health professional. It may be the first, only or last time the victim-survivor seeks support, so being ready to respond matters.
Any health professional may be seeing signs and symptoms of strangulation. The quality of responses to strangulation relies on building a foundational understanding about violence and abuse and the dangers of strangulation.
References
- 1.Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia: continuing the national story. Cat. no. FDV 3. Canberra: AIHW, 2019. DOI 10.25816/5ebcc837fa7ea
- 2.Coker, AL, Davis, KE, Arias, I, Desai, S, Sanderson, M, Brandt, HM, Smith, PH. Physical and mental health effects of intimate partner violence for men and women. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 2002; 23(4):260–8
- 3.Glass, N, Laughton, K, Campbell, J, Block, CR, Hanson, G, Sharps, P & Taliaferro, E. 3Non-fatal strangulation is an important risk factor for homicide of women, The Journal of Emergency medicine, 2008, Vol. 35(3): 329-335.
- 4.Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Family, domestic and sexual violence [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022 [cited 2023 Feb. 2]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence
Explore supporting resources for Health Professionals
The resources are designed to build on your understanding and responses to domestic, family and sexualised violence including a focus on strangulation. The resources are not advisory, exclusive or exhaustive.
Explore: All Health Professionals are responders
Explore: Optometrists are responders
Explore: Radiologists are responders
Explore: Dentists are responders
Explore: Physiotherapists are responders
Explore: Speech Pathologists are responders
Explore: General Practitioners are responders
Explore: Occupational Therapists are responders
Explore: Pathologists are responders
Explore: Dieticians are responders
Explore: AOD Services are responders
Explore: Women's Health Services are responders