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Unmasking Invisible Abuse: IPV and Coercive Control

Sunday, February 8th, 2026   10:00 AM EST -12:00 PM EST
Dr. Laura Spencer
$39.99

Most mental health clinicians are familiar with the concepts of Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). As mandated reporters, clinicians are trained to recognize signs of abuse in children and may even acquire some training on signs of IPV. Quite often the signs of physical abuse are clear and obvious – bruises, burns, and even broken bones are what raises alarm bells. What is less often clearly defined is the concept of coercion although the idea is often alluded to. An example of this might be to ensure a client is in a safe and private space when telehealth sessions are being conducted to allow for clients to speak freely without others interfering and reducing the likelihood of coercion and increasing the ability of the client to speak honestly.

 

This brief course is an introduction to the concept of coercive control, which is much more insidious than physical abuse as coercive control leaves no physical signs and is even less likely to be believed by law enforcement and the legal system. Having a better understanding of coercive control can allow a clinician to become aware of how coercive control works, interpersonal factors involved, and how to support a client who may be experiencing the phenomenon.

About the Presenter

Dr. Laura Spencer is a Licensed Mental Health Clinician with over 20 years’ experience working in the behavioral health field. Dr. Spencer has worked with individuals, families and couples, navigating many types of difficulties, from serious emotional disturbances to typical life changes. In addition to clinical practice and supervision, Dr. Spencer has taught graduate level classes in Counseling and Psychology at SUNY at Buffalo and conducted research on what works in parenting.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Introduce the concept of Coercive Control including tactics used
  2. Explain how law enforcement and courts often react to coercive control
  3. Provide an overview of how to support clients who are experiencing coercive control

Agenda:

Overview of Coercive Control (definition and types of individuals who may engage) – 15 minutes

Types of tactics used – 30 minutes

Who is at risk – 15 minutes

Common law enforcement and legal responses  - 15 minutes

How to support a client experiencing the phenomenon – 30 minutes

Discussion/Questions – 15 minutes

This workshop offers 2 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: introductory
Level of Clinician: beginner
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • CE You! is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.
    CE You! maintains responsibility for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0122.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0275.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.