For many survivors of sexual abuse, the legal process can be just as emotionally challenging as the abuse itself. Talking about what happened especially in formal settings like interviews or depositions can bring up powerful trauma responses. These triggers aren’t a sign of weakness; they’re a natural reaction to re-entering a space where power, control, and vulnerability intersect.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we know that healing and justice can coexist but only when the process respects the emotional safety of survivors. That’s why our approach to litigation is trauma-informed from start to finish. Below are tools and strategies that can help survivors prepare for and manage trauma triggers during interviews and depositions.
1. Understand What Triggers Are and Why They Happen
A trigger is typically centered around our five senses—sound, smell, sight, taste, tone, or even a person’s body language. As a result, they unconsciously remind you of the trauma. During interviews or depositions, triggers might surface when you’re asked to recount painful memories or when the questioning feels adversarial.
Recognizing that this is your brain’s way of trying to protect you can help you stay grounded instead of feeling ashamed or caught off guard.
2. Prepare Emotionally Beforehand
Prediction and Preparation isn’t just about reviewing documents or timelines it’s about emotional readiness.
Before any interview or deposition:
- Talk with your attorney and advocate about your specific triggers so they can help pace the process and use trauma-sensitive language.
- Schedule therapy or grounding time before and after the session.
- Plan your self-care the same way you plan your testimony: rest, hydration, and support are part of your preparation.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we work closely with survivors to ensure preparation meetings are paced in ways that build confidence rather than anxiety.
3. Set Boundaries and Use Your Voice
Even in a deposition or interview, you have the right to set boundaries.
- Take breaks at any time-you’re in control.
- You can ask for questions to be repeated or rephrased.
- Pause to regulate your breathing or emotions.
- Ask you emotional support person to help you set boundaries in case you find yourself unable to in the moment,
Trauma often teaches survivors that they have no control but in these settings, you do. Exercising those boundaries can be profoundly empowering and can reduce the intensity of emotional responses.
4. Practice Grounding Techniques
Grounding is a way to bring yourself back to the present moment when your mind starts to drift into traumatic memory.
Simple techniques include:
- Pressing your feet into the floor and naming five things you see.
- Holding a textured object, like a stone or bracelet, that reminds you of the present.
- Using slow, rhythmic breathing inhale for four counts, exhale for four.
Your advocate or attorney can also build short breaks into your schedule specifically for grounding.
5. Bring a Support Person
In most cases, survivors can have a victim advocate or support person present during interviews. Having someone you trust in the room can reduce anxiety and create a sense of safety.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we regularly accompany survivors through these sessions, ensuring that both emotional support and legal strategy align. You never have to go through this alone.
6. Debrief and Care for Yourself Afterwards
After any legal interview or deposition, survivors often experience delayed emotional responses—fatigue, sadness, irritability, or even physical exhaustion. This is normal.
Plan to decompress immediately after:
- Meet with your therapist or advocate.
- Engage in a grounding activity (a walk, meditation, journaling, or deep rest).
- When replaying the session in your mind; acknowledge that you showed up and did something incredibly difficult.
- Try not to be hard on yourself, you did the best you could and that is enough.
Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line but every step you take toward reclaiming your story matters.
7. Choose a Trauma-Informed Legal Team
Your choice of legal representation can make a world of difference. A trauma-informed attorney understands that how survivors are treated during the process is just as important as the legal outcome.
The attorneys at Andreozzi + Foote have decades of experience representing survivors of sexual abuse and institutional misconduct. We believe that justice should never come at the expense of your well-being. Our team works hand-in-hand with mental health professionals, victim advocates, and trauma specialists to create an environment of trust and empowerment.
You Deserve Justice Without Re-Traumatization
If you’re preparing for a deposition, interview, or court proceeding and are feeling anxious about how you’ll cope, know that you are not alone. We’re here to support you every step of the way with compassion, dignity, and trauma-informed care.
Contact Andreozzi + Foote today to learn more about how our survivor-focused team can protect your rights while prioritizing your emotional well-being.