Like a cancer, trauma-informed methods come in many shapes and forms. One type of trauma-informed approaches is known as FETI: Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview. The group offers a five-day training course for investigators that costs around $1,700. 

The FETI website claims that its methods are science-based and "neutral and equitable:"

• Neutral and equitable is an important and vital pillar of the Certified FETI framework. All Certified FETI interviewers should always strive to be unbiased with no preconceived notions, beliefs or agendas. The stated goal of a Certified FETI interview maximize opportunities for experiential information collection.
• A Certified FETI interviewer does not attempt to draw a conclusion or make determinations of credibility. Every participant, regardless of status, can and should expect a fair and impartial interview experience. It is absolutely imperative, for the integrity of each and every interview, for the interviewer to approach each interview with an open mind without judgment. Each interview must stand on its own merits without interpretation, bias or opinion.

A couple years ago the Wall Street Journal ran article about FETI --  attached. The article noted the reluctance of some officers to subscribe to the FETI approach:

• "They think, now you’re a therapist,” he said of some of his former colleagues. “I don’t believe you’re a therapist, I just think it’s a way of extracting information.”

Does FETI live up to its billing of being "neutral and equitable"? In tomorrow's update, we'll share the details of lawsuit against a university that used FETI methods.