Article Author: Jude M. Antonyappan, Krishna Guadalupe

We examined the required knowledge and skills of mediators for using Trauma-Conscious Approach (TCA) in Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) within the Restorative Justice (RJ) practice framework. In our conceptualization, the “victim” is referred to as the harmed party and the “offender” as the party that caused the harm or wrongdoer. This analysis began with an extensive review of literature on the primary concepts of the study and included empirical sources from 1992-2024 focusing on TCA and Trauma Informed Approaches (TIA) in RJ in combination with an analysis of five cases that involved restorative justice intervention in various practice contexts. The literature we reviewed used the terms TCA and TIA interchangeably in some instances and when differences were demarcated between the approaches, TCA was described as being anchored in individual awareness of the specific ways trauma impacts the parties’ cognitive and affective processes, as well as how these influences continue to shape mediation or therapeutic processes; and TIA is referred to as an established framework for understanding the impact of trauma that exists at varying levels and for preventing re-traumatization of the individuals. In both approaches, however, being aware of the interaction of trauma in the management of the presenting issues emerged as the unifying principle, while the TCA methods in general emphasize the consistent awareness and responsiveness of the mediator with regard to the parties’ trauma in restorative justice practices. We anchored our analysis in eliciting mediator skills, knowledge, and competencies within the TCA approach. Findings suggest that TCA aids in trauma processing and improves the efficacy of the RJ processes when mediators possess trauma-specific knowledge and skills.

Keywords: Mediator; Mediation; Restorative Justice; Trauma Conscious Approach; Trauma; Trauma Informed Approach; Victim Offender Dialogue

Article Review Status: Published

Pages: 1-12

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