Safe Home Visits
Powerful Information You Can Use Immediately to Make Your Work Inside the Client's Home Much Safer
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Excerpt #1: Part of the "Personal safety can be frightening" section:
Safety is not something most people think about on a regular basis. Some jobs, by their very nature, put people at higher risk of crime than others. If your job requires you to work alone and/or visit clients in their homes, you need to read this book.
Many home visitors have the feeling that “It won’t happen to me” or “I don’t work with that type of client.” As uncomfortable as the thought may be, anyone could cause you harm. Just because that person lives in an affluent area, in a big beautiful home, it does not mean that person may not have a mental imbalance or drug problem or violent tendencies. There are also other dangers that don’t necessarily involve a crime.
Some of the possible crimes that home visits could present include: robbery, theft, stalking, verbal abuse, sexual crimes or harassment, murder, and physical abuse or threats. Other issues that could arise include hazards like ice, weapons, poor condition of the home, medical emergencies, dangerous animals and even fire.
My own surveys have shown that women think about their safety or have uncomfortable feelings about situations much more often than men. Because of this, my book is written primarily using a female visitor and a male client. This is not meant to imply that the information is not of use to men that want to feel safer or that only male clients can be dangerous.
When a person first starts thinking about her safety and all the horrible “what-if’s” that could happen, she usually gets overwhelmed and stops thinking about it. It is much easier to say, ”It won’t happen to me,” “I’m careful” or “My job isn’t dangerous.”
The reason this happens is because the "What If’s" don’t provide any safe solutions. This book does.
If you only think about what could happen and don’t look at solutions, you are left feeling very vulnerable. I encourage you to finish this book, even if it makes you uncomfortable in the beginning. It is natural to want to get away from things that cause fear and we will later discuss how you can use that to your advantage.
Please brave the fear of reading about the situations presented in this book so you can gain powerful knowledge that will help you conquer the paralyzing fear of a real situation....
EXCERPT #2:
The "It won't happen to me" Syndrome:
When you know what to do to stay safe, you will be less afraid of the unknown. Part of learning to stay safe is to get rid of the “It won’t happen to me” mentality.
Having an awareness of the possibilities is good; denial that it could happen to you is not.
There are far more crimes committed than are ever reported. The ones that are reported become statistics and those statistics are frightening. Don’t rely on luck or “the odds.” Take a proactive roll in keeping yourself safe.
I am not trying to frighten you; I’m trying to open your eyes to the possibilities so you can see that your safety should be considered.
Here are just a few examples of crimes that have already occurred:
• A 63-year-old real estate agent was raped at knife point inside a vacant Coral Gables
home by a man who had an appointment to see the property.
• A caseworker for a children's services agency was stabbed to death while interviewing a
couple. She had been making regular visits with the family trying to unify them.
• A nurse was killed after she discovered two victims shot by the son of her patient. The
nurse was shot while making a call to 911. This took place in Girard, a town of about
4,000 people in Southeast Kansas.
• A 27-year-old social worker was at a family’s apartment to discuss a case plan with the
parents. The father was the only one home when the social worker arrived. She stayed
and explained the case plan to him.
As she prepared to leave, he grabbed her by the throat and pulled one of her arms behind
her. He then took the woman into the dining room and showed her a suicide note he had
written. He forced her into the living room and raped her on a mattress.
• A Child Welfare worker is beaten with a hammer and suffocated during a home visit.
• A Daytona Beach real estate agent was stabbed to death by someone apparently posing
as a customer.
Statistics: In a study of the information from the U.S. Department of Labor- Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was found that between 1992 and 2002 there were 724 deaths of workers in residences due to crime. This includes only victims that died from assaults and violent acts committed against them. This does not take into consideration the victims that survived an attack and all the attacks and attempts that went unreported.
Crimes happen to all types of people. You are not protected just because of your geographic area, the social status of the client, your race, your age or any other demographic.
The best protection is knowledge of how to recognize a potentially dangerous situation as it develops and knowing how to either diffuse the situation or get out of it quickly...
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE -- outlines the author's motivation for writing this book...as a former law enforcement officer, martial arts expert, and self-defense trainer as well as someone who has worked in the homes of others.
CHAPTER 2: ATTENTION EMPLOYERS -- Outlines why employers should be motivated to seek training for their employees regarding safety. ** Company liability ** Effects on employees ** Bad press ** Your bottom line
CHAPTER 3: PERSONAL SAFETY CAN BE FRIGHTENING -- takes a look at the many reasons we ignore the issue of personal safety in our own businesses and lives.
CHAPTER 4: "IT WON'T HAPPEN TO ME" SYNDROME -- Includes why people deny their own risk, has examples of real crimes and statistics.
CHAPTER 5: S.A.T. SELF ASSESSMENT -- Assess your current knowledge about how you should handle some possible situations. Discussion about the answers is found at the end of the book where you are urged to try the test again before checking your answers.
CHAPTER 6: JANE'S STORY -- shares a real story of a home attack to illustrate some key danger signals and an extreme result of ignoring your instincts
CHAPTER 7: KNOWLEDGE IS YOUR BEST WEAPON -- outlines some issues to consider including:
** What the predators rely on ** The effects of fear ** Poor body language versus confident body language
**How to develop a more confident stance **Your speech and what it says about you
CHAPTER 8: DENIAL IS YOUR ENEMY -- Discusses the steps of denial and different forms of denial.
** Rationalization ** Justification, minimization ** Excuse making ** Refusal.
CHAPTER 9: WHAT DO PREDATORS WANT? -- Knowing what the predators are looking for can help you avoid those things.
CHAPTER 10: WHAT ARE PREDATORS RELYING ON? -- Ignorance, automatic fear responses, and other behaviors that you might do that will help a predator.
CHAPTER 11: UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF FEAR -- This explains how your body could work against you through automatic physical responses.
CHAPTER 12: OVERCOMING FEAR: -- Several ways you can overcome and change those automatic responses to work in your favor. As well as ways you can use words to throw a predator off and stop an attack.
CHAPTER 13: DO YOU LOOK LIKE A VICTIM?: -- Your body language is assessed to see if you are likely to be selected. The body language to use and avoid is discussed.
CHAPTER 14: TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS -- describes the rules for staying safe in any situation, including:
** The many forms of intuition ** Stranger or strangeness? ** Real or imagined?
CHAPTER 15: AWARENESS IS CRITICAL -- How your awareness level can affect your safety.
** Developing an awareness of your surroundings ** Some subtle clues and warning signals to look for
CHAPTER 16: WARNING SIGNALS -- outlines some common warning signals to be aware of when dealing with a client, including:
** "Out of context” ** “He was so nice” ** The power of "we” ** Compelling statements ** "I promise"
** T.M.I. **"No” ** Body language and positioning issues ** Tone of voice ** Fights in the household
** A few notes about warning signals
CHAPTER 17: FALSE INDICATORS -- educates you about some signals that may seem to indicate danger, but may be related to the clients' medical issues, including:
** Antisocial personality disorder ** ADHD ** Bi-polar disorder ** Schizophrenia ** Tourette's syndrome
** learning disorders ** Cultural differences ** Personal space and eye contact discomfort
** Physical contact ** Women in business ** Non-verbal signals
CHAPTER 18: WHAT IF'S -- describes how to handle a variety of threatening situations, including:
** Client drunk or on drugs ** A controlling client ** Inappropriately dressed client ** A first call that makes you uncomfortable ** Not comfortable with the client location ** Weapons or illegal items visible
** Fights between a client and third party ** Clients that aren't taking their medications
** A verbally abusive or threatening client ** A 3rd person (visitor, friend of client) who makes you uncomfortable
** Uncontrolled pets ** Excessive distractions ** No spouse present and possible jealousy issues
** A medical emergency ** When you're called to provide service to a third party ** Client blocks the exit
** Hazardous or appalling living conditions ** You witness a crime ** A client shows you a weapon
CHAPTER 19: HOW TO GET OUT -- takes a look at ways to leave the scene if you feel uncomfortable, including:
** Understanding that you don't have to stay ** Using your cell phone as a safety tool
** Having a signal to indicate danger ** Knowing the address so you can get help ** Info for your lifeline
** The excuses and how to use them
CHAPTER 20: PLANS AND PREPARATIONS -- outlines over 55 steps you can take in advance to keep from ending up in a dangerous situation in the first place, including these categories:
** Safety in numbers ** Violent visitors ** Auto related safety ** Clothing ** Food and drinks ** Leaving your stuff
** General tips
CHAPTER 21: ABDUCTION AVOIDANCE -- You might think abduction isn’t common for adults, but you will be surprised. This explains how to avoid and escape this dangerous scenario.
CHAPTER 22: ABOUT RAPE -- Some insight into the mind of this type of criminal.
CHAPTER 23: WEAPONS...YES OR NO? -- examines the issue of whether you should arm yourself for client appointments (not recommended) and discusses the issues that arise if you decide to have a self-defense tool with you:
** Guns ** Chemical or pepper spray ** Stun guns and tazers ** Self-defense training
CHAPTER 24: OTHER SITUATIONS -- discusses some other situations that could threaten your safety, including:
** Fire ** Medical emergencies ** Unsafe or unsanitary living conditions
CHAPTER 25: INSURANCE -- looks at the issue of insuring yourself and your company against the unexpected
CHAPTER 26: PLACES YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION -- offers some additional resources for educating yourself about safety issues
CHAPTER 27: AFTERMATH SYMPTOMS -- examines the effects of traumatic shock and what to do after an unavoidable incident
CHAPTER 28: MY WISH TO YOU -- a final thought from the author
CHAPTER 29: NOTES ABOUT THE S.A.T. ASSESSMENT -- Just in case the book didn't answer your questions, this section covers how to properly handle the situations in the initial test and why each answer is safe or dangerous.
CHAPTER 30: RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND VIDEOS -- a list of publications that can help you continue your training in self-defense and safety
About the Author
Chris Puls ("Pulse") loves to teach people new skills.
Her favorite topics are self-defense and personal safety techniques. She also enjoys sharing the knowledge she has gained from 20+ years of dog training and behavioral studies.
She started training in martial arts as a teen and has continued to expand her skills in various styles. Her favorites are Aikido, Aikijutsu and the weapon disarming techniques learned from a Navy Seal. She has taught self-defense against both armed and unarmed assailants using a mix of various styles. Because of the nature of the training, it does not translate well to a one day session, so her book and safety presentations focus on the mental skills that anyone can develop and do not include physical self-defense skills. Information on "why" is included in her presentations and her book.
Her past employment includes working as an undercover officer and plain clothes officer for a private security firm and as a police officer (patrol division) in some of the worst neighborhoods of Cincinnati Ohio for over 8 years.
Chris has been a certified instructor for the NRA's "Refuse To Be A Victim" program since 2004 and enjoys sharing this 3 to 4 hour crime prevention program with local community groups and corporations.
Chris is the author of two books, the first titled "Protecting Yourself From Violence During Home Visits" which is now out of print. It was replaced with the second edition titled "Safe Home visits" which is available from the publisher Trafford.com. It contains a wealth of information about many aspects of both general safety and home visit safety. More information is available about it on the pages of her website: safehomevisits.com. She also help co-author a book for kids about Dog Scouts of America and has written numerous training articles for websites and publications.
She has been a member of Toastmasters International and constantly strives to improve upon her speaking and presenting skills. Chris earned the title of “Competent Toastmaster” (CTM) and gives many presentations per year on a variety of topics, including safe home visits, to audiences of all sizes.