Our Approach

At Defenders of Children, we aim to be trauma-informed in all our interactions with applicants, clients, and others. We believe that a trauma-informed approach is crucial to our success in helping vulnerable Arizonans through the practice of law.

We engage in trauma-informed lawyering because it has proven results:

• Recognizes and validates clients’ past and ongoing trauma
• Prioritizes treating clients with empathy and respect
• Focuses on helping clients to better understand and prepare for their involvement in stressful court proceedings
• Empowers clients to be drivers, rather than merely passengers, in their own cases
• Greatly reduces the re-traumatization resulting from sharing (and reliving) one’s adverse experiences
• Significantly increases the likelihood of positive outcomes