"We didn't have enough training and that makes us potentially harmful": Mental health professionals' understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control

Manning, Stephanie; Foley, Sarah; Lambert, Sharon

"We didn't have enough training and that makes us potentially harmful": Mental health professionals' understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control

Files

Manning Foley Lambert (2025) PSI IP.pdf(7.92 MB)

Published Version

Date

2025-08

Authors

Manning, Stephanie

Foley, Sarah

Lambert, Sharon

Publisher

The Psychological Society of Ireland

Abstract

Reports of domestic abuse (DA) and domestic violence (DV) have increased globally in recent years (Parry & Gordon, 2021; Pfitzer et al., 2020; White et al., 2023), highlighting the demand for support services (Campbell, 2020; John et al., 2020) and recognition of the psychosocial needs of survivors (Kavanagh & Fassbender, 2024). Across academic and service sectors, there have been calls for coordinated response at policy, practice, and social levels (Donnelly and Holt, 2020; John et al., 2020). Many forms of abuse are included under the heading domestic abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological), including coercive control (CC), which is defined as: A purposeful panern of behaviour whereby one person seeks to exert power, control, or coercion over another. A range of tactics are used such as isolating the partner from sources of support and social interaction, exploiting their resources, depriving them of the means needed for independence, resistance and escape and regulating their everyday behaviour (Dobash & Dobash, 2004 p.45). DA and CC occurs across all socioeconomic groups, and all relationship types. CC is a relatively new offence in Ireland, the Domestic Violence Act introducing CC as an offence in 2019 (Sheehy, 2019). Consequently, linle research has been conducted on this topic in Ireland. DV or CC is often not disclosed due to many factors; feelings of shame and guilt the victim may be experiencing, financial dependence on perpetrator, a desire to protect the perpetrator, or fearing that violence may escalate if they tell someone (Donnelly and Holt, 2021; Lagdon et al., 2022). In the United Kingdom, Downes et al. (2014) found that 95 out of 100 DA survivors reported experiencing CC. In a recent study, Carr (2024) investigated the long-term effects of CC, highlighting that women who experienced CC continue to live with the trauma and it continues to significantly affect the women's lives physically, psychologically and financially, even ten years later. The importance of practitioners being adequately trained to not only spot signs of DV but also to support individuals affected by emotional abuse such as coercive control, has also been highlighted (Campbell, 2020). DA training is vital to assist professionals to be alert to the indicators of abuse. Earlier work by Bacchus et al (2003) emphasised the potential harm that exists as a result of a lack of mandatory training in Ireland to adequately support professionals in recognising signs of DV. Similarly, Humphreys and Thiara (2003) recommended that training should be provided by those with expertise on the subject. Torres-Vitolas et al. (2010) further emphasise the need for DA training, stressing that training needs to provide content that is tailored to the clinicians working environment. These studies convey the importance of training, while also illustrating the potential benefit of experts by experience being included, to provide an in-depth account of the signs and indicators. The psychological effects of DV can be severe (Campbell, 2020; Lewis et al., 2023), including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health problems (Lewis et al., 2023). Victims may struggle with sleep, appetite, or concentration (Campbell, 2020). DV can have a lasting impact long after the abuse ends and can affect witnesses, including children and family members (Campbell, 2020). A study in Ireland found DV issues were marginalised in mental health care, being viewed as social rather than clinical problems (Donnelly & Holt, 2021 ), while understanding CC requires practitioners to look beyond violent acts to understand the survivor's lived experience. While studies have taken place in an international context, this topic requires further examination within the Irish context. The current study aims to examine mental health professionals' knowledge and experiences of encountering incidences of domestic abuse and coercive control in their professional practice. Informed by previous research, this is an exploratory study to capture issues of knowledge, training, and willingness of workers to engage in further training/education in the Irish Mental Health Sector.

Keywords

Domestic abuse , Domestic violence , Support services , Coercive control , Education , Training

Citation

Manning, S., Foley, S. and Lambert, S. (2025) '"We didn't have enough training and that makes us potentially harmful": Mental health professionals' understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control', The Irish Psychologist, 51(4), pp. 82-87.