Course Introduction

Welcome to CQUniversity’s Coercive Control online short course.

This short course is built on contemporary practice knowledge and research, and provides you with the latest information about coercive control. Completing this short course will increase the likelihood that your risk assessment and screening questions will better reflect the lived experience of victims of intimate partner violence.

By developing a deeper understanding of the perpetrator’s patterns of violence you will build on your existing practice and knowledge about how to assess risk with the perpetrators who use this form of violence while maintaining an unrelenting focus on the safety of the victim/survivor.

Meet your educator

Mark Walters ASSOCIATE LECTURER Bachelor of Psychological Science – Cert IV in Training and Assessment

Mark’s work in behavioural change spans 30 years in which he has delivered front line interventions in the form of client counselling, behavioural change programs, professional development and training. Mark has been the principal trainer in the use of the Domestic and Family Violence Common Risk and Safety Framework, contributing to the professional development of the High-Risk Teams in Queensland. He has served as a Board Member on the Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board that works with the Coroner to make recommendations to Government on improving service provision for those who have died as a result of domestic and family violence.

A word from the author

Welcome to this short course on understanding the dynamics of coercive control. I certainly enjoyed sourcing the information and constructing this short course. Reading through the materials and doing the multiple-choice questions at the end would, I hope, add to your skill base and will be part of your commitment to continuous learning. It goes without saying that there is much more to learn, understand and contextualise into practice than what is covered in this short course, but my wish is that understanding coercive control, as one part of a broad pattern of social entrapment, shifts our collective thinking to a better conceptual and practical understanding of the lived experiences of victim/survivors of intimate partner violence. I hope the learning presented here is helpful and practical and that through your commitment to safety, justice and accountability you will use this short course as a starting point for further learning and professional development as we all work to eliminate intimate partner and family violence. Thank you, Mark Walters.

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️

This course contains delicate material that may be triggering for some learners. We encourage you to be mindful of your own limits and take regular breaks. Before you commence it may be helpful to find out what support services are available to you in your area and how they can be accessed.

Whilst we will, at times, encourage you to engage in discussion with peers in the comments feed, we also urge all learners to avoid disclosure of any personal information. We also encourage respectful dialogue with your fellow learners and educators.