By Elisabeth Swim, Helpline Specialist, Daya Inc.
Case management, crisis intervention, economic stability assistance, and rehousing are terms a client-service database knows very well. When using any of these terms with crisis callers – no matter what their first language may be – it interrupts the flow of conversation. While this language may help funders and regulatory agencies approve services, it is rarely accessible to the people seeking help.
With the increase in reports of abuse and assault and a changing landscape of resources, caseloads at abuse-recovery agencies worldwide have gone up. Therefore, an advocate might be tempted to speed through intakes using the readily available jargon, but to a survivor who has never sought help before, use of these heady terms can be off-putting.
How can I offer the most accessible language to a survivor about the services my organization provides, without overstating what we do or promising what we can’t deliver?
Here are some guidelines to follow during calls:
TIPS
- Listen for the language the caller uses to describe their goals for recovery
- Use the same language (whenever possible) to describe referrals and services available
- Translate any misleading service names when jargon needs to be used in order for a client to self advocate. For example, “rapid rehousing” isn’t necessarily rapid, but here are the ways in which it is different from emergency shelter or rental assistance …
- Check for understanding at the end of the call by asking what the caller’s next steps are
- Gauge the client’s help-seeking history and use language that matches. For example, for first-time help-seekers, use language that is as simple as possible to describe services
- Adapt to a caller’s abilities: callers with head injuries might need multiple repetitions of service scope and definitions before lasting comprehension is available
Elisabeth Swim will present Healing-Centered Safety Planning with Clients who are 1st or 2nd Generation in the U.S. at the 2026 Conference on Crimes Against Women. Don’t miss the chance to see her speak on this subject – Register here!
