ABSTRACT
In the immediate aftermath of an extreme trauma, thoughts of seeking compensation are likely to be far from your mind. But as time passes, friends and relatives are likely to increasingly raise the issue. You may then seek legal advice but have very mixed feelings: on the one hand you are pleased that you are seeking justice but the litigation process, making a statement, answering solicitor's queries and so on act as painful reminders of the trauma. Matters are often not helped by a relative or friend asking about the progress of the compensation claim, in such a way as to imply that the trauma is no more than a useful way of your making money. The upshot is that many trauma victims pursue litigation with ambivalent feelings. On a more positive note, via litigation, you can get the psychological and/or physical help you need usually much more quickly than relying on the NHS. For example NHS waiting lists for cognitive behavioural therapy (the evidence-based approach described in this book) are typically from six to eighteen months whereas it is possible to be referred privately to an accredited cognitive behavioural therapist (see the website of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies www.babcp.com) usually within weeks following recommendation by an expert witness, who would usually be a psychologist or psychiatrist.
