D aily, professional counselors work with clients who live in unsafe situations in which they are exposed to violent and exploitative relationships. These unsafe situations can include experiencing intimate partner violence or being a victim of child abuse or human / sex trafficking.
Right now, during the coronavirus pandemic, intimate partner violence and child abuse are on the rise. Clients are at increased risk of violence during the pandemic as they are under increased stress (which can make violence worse), isolated from support systems, and spending more time in confined spaces with potentially abusive family members.
When working with clients who become victims, counselors have an obligation to promote the safety of these people. While perpetrators often use technology against clients to control and further harass them, newer technology apps have emerged that consultants can use to improve the security of their clients. We will discuss some of these apps in this article.
Using technology to empower customers
There are many customer safety concerns that need to be considered when providing advice. First, technology is often used by perpetrators as an additional vehicle for abuse. Technology outlets offer perpetrators the opportunity to fight and track their victims and ultimately continue to abuse and exploit them. Technologies that can be used to perpetuate abuse include tracking devices, location-enabled applications on cell phones, cameras, microphones, social media apps, and even simplified methods of communication such as abusive text messages, emails, and phone calls.
Customers are often forced to surrender all of their devices, especially if their use of technology is being monitored by their perpetrator or if their number is known in some way to their perpetrator. Customers might consider changing their phone numbers and social media presence. However, this can be difficult, expensive, and time consuming.
Although steps to maintain digital, and therefore physical, security require the setting of boundaries to the use of technology, it is important to recognize the role technology also plays in supporting the security, autonomy and empowerment of survivors can. All of these are decisive factors for a trauma-informed counseling approach. Consultants can work with clients to maintain the level of digital connection they want while encouraging them to take steps to ensure safety.
Overview of apps for client security
There are several apps that can provide critical support and assistance to customers. These apps are free and compatible with iOS and Android devices. This means that they are generally accessible regardless of the devices used by clients. These apps can be powerful and powerful resources. They are especially useful for people in violent relationships and for trafficking survivors trying to break free from unsafe relationships. You can also empower customers who have been sexually abused or assaulted, as well as customers who want to improve their security “just in case”.
All of these apps can be easily integrated into clinical practice. For example, consultants can help survivors set up and configure these apps and talk to clients about how best to use these apps to help keep them safe. For many survivors, these apps can be a small step on the long road to restoring a sense of personal security. As such, counselors can play a vital role in helping survivors process the tangled emotions that come with taking steps to regain their safety.
In this way, the use of technology through apps is an interactive and engaging intervention that can help empower survivors. By incorporating these safety apps into counseling, doctors can help survivors feel safe and protected, perhaps for the first time.
myPlan
Security plans are an important part of advice when working with customers in unsafe relationships. In the past, consultants have worked with clients to develop written security plans on paper, but these can be dangerous as they can be detected by abusers, which can lead to violence.
An app that can be helpful in developing electronic security plans is myPlan. With this app, customers can create security plans and save them in the cloud of their devices. Plans are saved in the app itself, which is then saved in the cloud, making it difficult for perpetrators / abusers to access it.
In this app, individual survivors answer several short (automatically generated by the app) questions about their relationship and situation. The app then creates a security plan tailored to the specific needs of the survivor based on the person's answers to the questions.
Using this app makes security planning safer and more technologically advanced. By storing security plans in the cloud, customers have instant access to their plans. In addition, this app connects survivors to local resources, live chat with lawyers (trained volunteer lawyers who work with loveispect.org), and even options for medical emergencies. The live chat option provides survivors with real-time assistance that can complement and enhance the security plan.
Noonlight (formerly SafeTrek)
Noonlight enables individuals to call emergency services without dialing 911 or making sudden movements that could alert the perpetrator that the person is seeking help. This app can save lives in actively unsafe situations. The app can be particularly useful for customers who are still at risk or who continue to have contact with their abusers.
With Noonlight, users can simply keep the phone in their pocket, purse, or any other place that is not suspicious. The app is equipped with a large safety button that, when gently touched, notifies the local emergency services in real time to send help. The app is location-activated and contains a person's data that can be shared with law enforcement in case the person cannot speak, text text, or otherwise seek help.
This app can be particularly useful for people who are withheld or unable to verbally communicate their distress. In addition, it helps to provide security and empowerment to customers. If a person is at risk of continued abuse, this app can assist them in obtaining emergency aid.
Aspire News
Another app that is helpful for customers affected by unsafe situations or ongoing abuse is Aspire News. In the event that a customer's phone is being monitored, this app will appear as a normal news app with daily headlines, weather reports, etc. However, embedded in the Help section of the app are emergency contacts, resources, and information on shelters and other support services offered to those affected. The app is location activated, which means that it can adapt resources to any location the client is currently in.
Although this app is primarily aimed at customers who have been affected by intimate partner violence, it can be equally useful when working with customers in other unsafe situations. This can be especially helpful for people trafficked as they are often moved and may not be aware of local resources or shelter where they can get help. Aspire News can connect these people with resources anywhere regardless of their familiarity with the region.
Many of the resources in the app are aimed at survivors of intimate partner violence and sex trafficking, but they also serve those who experience sexual abuse or exploitation. Aspire News connects customers with resources like emergency shelters, food and hygiene pantries, case management, law enforcement, and even advice. Aspire News can be a helpful app for any customer who is concerned that an abuser will search their phones or punish them for seeking help.
bSafe
The relatively new bSafe app for personal safety offers a variety of helpful tools and resources. It provides specific support for clients who may be suffering from persistent abuse situations and want to record or collect evidence against their abusers. The evidence can then be stored in the cloud so that it cannot be destroyed.
The bSafe app has audio and video recording functions (the form used is selected by the user of the app) in order to record all possible abusive actions. The app also offers the ability to livestream an abusive incident or attack while it was occurring. All of these evidence records can be stored in the cloud to ensure that they are not lost or destroyed by a perpetrator, even if the perpetrator destroys the device himself. The app also forwards the footage or the recording to trustworthy people whom the customer has previously identified and added to his emergency contact list.
Still, it can be helpful for customers who do not wish to report their abuse to know that they have evidence to document the trauma they survived. This leaves the door open for them to report their abuse in the future if they so choose. Gathering such evidence can also help customers feel heard and believed about their experiences in an abusive relationship. The evidence collected by the bSafe app can also help customers receive protection orders against their perpetrators or perpetrators.
The app can also automatically notify contacts to call 911. The app is location activated. This means that trustworthy social support is provided with the location of the person in case the person is in need and cannot call to help themselves. The app also features an SOS button and a "fake call" service that allows survivors to seek assistance in an abusive situation without pinging the radar of an offender who may be detecting or monitoring cell phone use. With a simple press of the button, individuals can notify emergency services to send immediate assistance using the app's location-enabled technology.
National hotline for human trafficking
Safety planning is critical to working with clients who have experienced sex trafficking. These clients may be at continued risk as various perpetrators and pimps attempt to lead these individuals back into a life of exploitation. As counselors, we can provide this specific population with knowledge of ways to maintain safety during the recovery process.
The National Trafficking Hotline has recently added expanded and more accessible options for individuals. The hotline offers a variety of resources and support to help customers protect themselves. One such resource is the BeFree Textline. Individuals can seek help by sending “HELP” to 233733 if they cannot speak freely in the presence of their traffickers or panties. That line of text is a powerful resource to share with customers as it is a great help.
Crisis text line
You can reach the Crisis Text Line (CTL) via SMS 741741. Callers are then connected to a trained crisis advisor. The CTL is a valid resource for all clients, but it has immense value for those affected by intimate partner violence, human trafficking, or sexual abuse.
Given that CTL communications are text, many customers may find it less threatening or less conspicuous to their perpetrator to contact a lawyer. The CTL then connects clients with appropriate referrals and resources to help them find support and ensure their personal safety.
Enabling survivors with technology
The above resources provide examples of apps and other tools that can aid customers in their ongoing struggle to maintain security. Technology can play a unique and emerging role when we consult with these resilient clients. These apps and text tools demonstrate the latest technological advances that can drive support, safety planning, and healing for customers.
Using these tools is a small way to remind customers that they really deserve protection, security, peace, and healing. As consultants, we have the privilege of accompanying these clients on their courageous and unique recovery journeys. These technological nuggets provide resources to empower customers while maintaining their safety, dignity, and resistance to healing.
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Marissa Gray is a licensed professional counselor working for Youth Intensive Services in Youngstown, Ohio. She offers trauma counseling for those who have worked in the sex trafficking industry. Contact them at [email protected].
Victoria Kress is a professor at Youngstown State University. She is a licensed professional clinical advisor and supervisor, a nationally certified advisor and a certified clinical mental health advisor. She has published extensively on many topics related to counseling practice, particularly working with abuse and trauma survivors. Contact her at [email protected].
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