Uncovering Deadly Darkness: A Comprehensive Approach to Identifying Domestic Abuse & Coercive Control in Mental Health Treatment

A full understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control is desperately needed to adequately care for victims and perpetrators. As counselors we all, whether we are in private practice or working in an agency or hospital setting, should be well versed in domestic abuse and coercive control. We must be able to identify when our clients are in such relationships, especially if we treat couples. Further, we also must know how to adequately treat and support victims with full understanding of the nuances and complexities of such cases, lest we inadvertently put our clients (and their children) at risk of great harm or death - even if physical or sexual violence have not yet occurred in the relationship. Additionally, there is great value in taking a team approach to safety and treatment. This program will teach participants to identify domestic abuse, provide an overview of treatment of victims/survivors, and provide information on creating/participating in multidisciplinary teams. De-identified cases will be presented along with real-world, research-backed, field-tested treatment strategies.