College of Medicine and Dentistry Identifying Domestic and Sexual Violence Considering Unintended Consequences

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Considering Unintended Consequences

This scenario demonstrates a dentist responding to a patient when the person believed to be perpetrating harm attends the dental appointment and uses coercive control. It also shows how to be cognisant of ‘unintended consequences’ when working with a patient who is a victim-survivor of DSV.

Objectives of the scenario

  • Demonstrate knowledge of coercive control as a form of domestic and sexual violence
  • Demonstrate developing skills in responding to a patient when the person believed to be perpetrating harm attends the appointment; specifically considering whether to keep the patient and their partner in the same clinic room, whether to separate the patient and their partner, and whether to screen for domestic and sexual violence in either situation
  • Demonstrate knowledge of ‘unintended consequences’ in relation to screening, opening the conversation, and documentation with patients who are victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence

Video resource

This scenario demonstrates a dentist responding to a patient when the person believed to be perpetrating harm attends the dental appointment and uses coercive control. It also shows how to be cognisant of ‘unintended consequences’ when working with a patient who is a victim-survivor of DSV. The length of this video is 8:10 minutes

Print resource

man talking to receptionist.

This print resources includes:

  • Prompts to discuss the content in the video
  • Critical reflective questions
  • Links to relevant resources
Download the print resource

The following scripts are examples of how you can communicate with patients who are victim-survivors of DSV:

  • Screening
  • Opening the conversation
  • Risk assessment
  • Confidentiality
  • Potentially breaking confidentiality
  • Documentation
  • Trauma informed practice (following a disclosure of DSV)

Download the example scripts.

Please note

Each of the following scripts are examples only, and you will need to adapt them so they sound more ‘natural’ to you. Each time you use these scripts with a patient, you need to consider:

  • the patient’s particular circumstances
  • organisational policy and procedure
  • State/Territory legislative requirements
  • National legislative requirements
  • Requirements of your professional association.

Points to consider

  • self-care refers to activities to take care of our mental, emotional, and physiological well-being.
  • when working with people who have / are experiencing DSV, be attentive to signs of vicarious trauma.
  • concepts related to vicarious trauma include stress, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, empathetic distress, and burnout.
  • see the resources below for detailed information on the indicators of vicarious trauma and associated concepts.
  • ensure your workplace is enacting strategies to mitigate negative impacts of your work in general, and specifically in relation to vicarious trauma.

Relevant resources

There are many excellent resources on self-care and worker well-being available online or through specific worker training. Here are a few places you can start building your knowledge and skill set in relation to self-care, and mitigating vicarious trauma:

Acknowledgements

This collaborative project to develop video scenarios and print resources involved many people from dentistry, social work, the domestic and sexual violence sector, and victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We extend our sincere appreciation to:

  • The following organisations: James Cook University Social Work; James Cook University Dentistry; JCU Dental Clinic; Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service; Be Conscious; Warringu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation; Hudson Films; ADA-Dental Health Foundation.
  • The dentists who provided expert advice: Adjunct Associate Professor Andrew Lee, JCU; Dr Julee Birch, Australian Dental Health Foundation.
  • The people and organisations who participated in research that informed, and evaluated, the video scenarios and print resources.
  • The research team: Dr Ann Carrington, Senior Lecturer, Social Work, James Cook University (JCU); Dr Felicity Croker, Adjunct Associate Professor, Dentistry, JCU; Dr Alex Dancyger, Lecturer, Dentistry, JCU; Simone Dewar, Research Assistant, Social Work, JCU; Dr Vinnitta Mosby, Lecturer, Social Work JCU – First Nations advisor.

We also acknowledge the kindly contributions of the dentist, dental staff, and actor in this video:

  • Dentist: Assoc Prof Geoffrey Booth
  • Actor ‘Josh’: Garth Edwards
  • Actor ‘Trevor’: David Terry

With special thanks to the victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence who participated in this research, and generously and courageously shared their stories.

QLD Gov coat of arms

This project was funded by Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney General.

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