Trauma Treatment Skills for Survivors of Domestic Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Date course created: November 2023

The level of reported cases of Domestic Abuse (DA) continues to increase globally with  DA charities recording a  66%  increase in calls to helplines during the pandemic. In addition, the number of women murdered by their partner or ex-partner during lockdown also rose above national averages. While much of the clinical literature focuses on physical violence in domestic abuse (DA), there is increasing evidence that there are more subtle and covert forms of abuse in which  power and control are used to  coerce and emotionally abuse partners in intimate relationships. This training, which would be especially relevant for psychotherapists, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists, aims to enhance our comprehension of the spectrum of DA and its impact and long term effects on survivors. It will also examine how, as practitioners, we can work effectively using the principles of the Power Threat Meaning Framework and Trauma Informed Practice, psychoeducation and stabilization to restore control over trauma symptoms and emotional regulation to allow for effective processing of the DA experiences

To understand the full spectrum of DA, this training will look at small, subtle, yet incremental forms of coercive and controlling behavior, such as ‘love bombing, ‘gaslighting’, thought control, deception, and lying, to distort reality in order to gain control over the partner and make it harder for them to legitimize the abuse. The focus of this training will be on the dynamics of coercive and controlling behavior and emotional abuse and how the use of blame, shame, and humiliation silences those who are being domestically abused.

The training will also explore how these more subtle forms of abuse can precede a range of domestically abusive behaviors, such as the use of physical force, sexual violence, financial abuse, spiritual abuse and revenge porn, and identify those most at risk of DA. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the processes involved in DA such as grooming victims, the cycle of abuse, the role of dissociation and thought blindness that supports the trauma bond which dysfunctionally binds the couple. The aim is to understand the role of attachment and fear of abandonment that underpins much of DA and how this manifests relationally both for the couple and practitioners working with DA. We also look at the importance of the therapeutic relationship in restoring relational worth, mitigating the de-humanizing effects of DA and restoring autonomy and self-agency.

Conceptualizing DA within the complex trauma framework, we consider the processing of the DA narrative and the facilitation of post traumatic growth through the use of the Power Threat Meaning Framework and Trauma Informed Practice. By identifying the challenges of working with DA and introducing a range of therapeutic skills, practitioners will feel more equipped when working with survivors of DA and enhance their comprehension of the transformative effects of post traumatic growth for both clients and practitioners.

**This is a 5.25-CE noninteractive, self-paced online video course delivered in home study format via an industry-standard online learning platform**

Agenda:

00:00 – 01:00: Domestic Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence as Complex Trauma

01:00 – 02:00: Spectrum of Domestic and Narcissistic Abuse

02:00 – 02:45: Effects of Domestic Abuse on Children

02:45 – 03:45: Safety Plans for Survivors

03:45 – 04:30: Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice

04:30 – 05:15: Therapeutic Challenges

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

a). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify and describe the nature and dynamics of DA, such as how charm and love bombing, gaslighting and deception is used to entice and lower the defenses of victims.

b). After completing this training, participants will be able to learn and understand the nature of coercive and controlling behavior, such as the use of thought control and thought blindness to distort reality and facilitate the trauma bond.

c). After completing this training, participants will be able to link the intergenerational transmission of DA to attachment and relational deficits in childhood, and understand how these processes negatively affect adulthood.

d). After completing this training, participants will be able to differentiate between the characteristics of male and female perpetrators.

e). After completing this training, participants will be able to formulate DA within complex trauma and acknowledge its psychobiological impact.

f). After completing this training, participants will be able to identity the long term effects of DA on partners and children, and acknowledge the obstacles to leaving an abusive relationship and the importance of developing safety plans.

g). After completing this training, participants will be able to incorporate the principles of the Power Threat Meaning Framework and Trauma Informed Practice when working with survivors of DA.

h). After completing this training, participants will be able to acknowledge the role of the therapeutic relationship in restoring power, control, and autonomy while recognizing this work’s impact on practitioners and the importance of self-care.

Target Audience:

Mental Health Clinicians & Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Marriage & Family Therapists, Counselors, School Personnel,  and Healthcare Workers.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Instructor(s): Christiane Sanderson, BSc., MSc.

Material Author(s): Christiane Sanderson, BSc., MSc.

Christiane Sanderson BSc, MSc. is a retired senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton, of London with over 30 years of experience working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse and sexual violence. She has delivered consultancy, professional development and professional training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counselors, solicitors, the NSPCC, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service, SOLACE, the Refugee Council, Birmingham City Council Youth Offending Team, and HMP Bronzefield. Christiane has contributed to news coverage on BBC TV and BBC Radio, and Sky News, as well as being featured in a number of documentaries involving sexual violence, most recently Fred and Rose (West): The Untold Story (Channel 5, 2014); ‘Hotel of Horrors’ (2014) and The Cul-de-Sac Cult (2015) on the Crime and Investigation Network (Sky Channel 553). She is the author of Counselling Skills for Working with Shame, Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma: Healing from Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse, Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, 3rd edition, Counselling Survivors of Domestic Abuse, The Seduction of Children: Empowering Parents and Teachers to Protect Children from Child Sexual Abuse, and Introduction to Counselling Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She has also written The Warrior Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Sexual Violence; The Spirit Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Religious Sexual Abuse Across All Faiths and Responding to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A pocket guide for professionals, partners, families and friends for the charity One in Four for whom she is a trustee.

For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.

Course Materials & Delivery Method:

• Course materials – The course is composed of a recorded presentation and written materials (e.g. a slide deck and/or other worksheets, manuals, or handouts as provided by the instructor). The slide deck and any additional worksheets or handouts (as provided by the instructor) are made available inside the Lesson module after a course is purchased.
• Delivery Method – this course is a recorded asynchronous, self-paced webinar training, and there is no access time limit or due date to complete it once enrolled. The enrolled learner will stream the recorded presentation and view the materials from their internet connected device via an industry-standard online learning platform.

CE Approvals:

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not quality for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2024 – July 23, 2025. Social workers completing this course receive [see advertisement] asynchronous distance learning continuing education credits.

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