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Enrol freeReflective Safeguarding · by Sharon Mackenzie SpiritRSPrac
Recognising Coercive Control in Personal Relationships
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Claiming CPD hours
3 hours · Self-directed, non-accredited professional learning
Your certificate records these hours with a unique number anyone can check on the verification page. For an audit, keep your certificate and a copy of this course outline. Many professional associations accept self-directed learning toward annual CPD. Whether these hours count, and in which category, is decided by your own association — please check its current CPD policy.
Sometimes the hardest part of a harmful relationship is understanding what is happening. Each incident may arrive with an explanation: concern, jealousy, stress, love, disappointment or a request for reassurance. Meanwhile, your freedom to choose, rest, speak, connect and disagree may steadily narrow.
This course helps you look at the relationship over time. You do not need to prove someone’s private intentions to notice the effects of their behaviour. You can take a concern seriously while still being uncertain about its meaning. You can also recognise genuine disagreement or an isolated mistake without automatically calling it coercive control.
The course applies to intimate partners and other close personal relationships. It does not assume a particular gender, sexuality, family structure or living arrangement. You decide which examples fit your experience.
Free course · No card required · Free certificate
Sharon Mackenzie SpiritRSPrac · Founder & Educator
- Diploma of Counselling
- Accredited Chaplain
- Narrative Practice Practitioner · Health & Harmony Colleges
- Advanced Aromatherapy Practitioner · Health & Harmony Colleges
- Trauma-Informed Care
Sharon Mackenzie is the founder and educator behind Spirit Led Institute. Her work draws on a Diploma of Counselling, narrative practice, accredited chaplaincy, trauma-informed care training. She develops practical education at the intersection of safeguarding, organisational culture, dignity, authority, psychosocial safety and individual healing.
What our students learn
- Identify the eight recognition lenses
- Distinguish disagreement from pressure that narrows choice
- Explain boundary attrition
- Map behaviour and consequences without diagnosing another person
- And identify a realistic support option or next step
Course outline
Module 1
Opening — Course introduction
Introduction, framework and attribution
- Course introduction
Module 2
Lesson 1 — Look at the pattern, not only the incident
- Look at the pattern, not only the incident
Module 3
Lesson 2 — Isolation & Relational Restriction
- Isolation & Relational Restriction
Module 4
Lesson 3 — Control of Perception & Narrative
- Control of Perception & Narrative
Module 5
Lesson 4 — Exhaustion, Depletion & Boundary Attrition
- Exhaustion, Depletion & Boundary Attrition
Module 6
Lesson 5 — Threat, Consequence & Exemplary Punishment
- Threat, Consequence & Exemplary Punishment
Module 7
Lesson 6 — Intermittent Reward & Relief
- Intermittent Reward & Relief
Module 8
Lesson 7 — Demonstrated Power & Apparent Futility
- Demonstrated Power & Apparent Futility
Module 9
Lesson 8 — Degradation, Humiliation & Dignity Erosion
- Degradation, Humiliation & Dignity Erosion
Module 10
Lesson 9 — Trivial Demands & Displacement of Attention
- Trivial Demands & Displacement of Attention
Module 11
Lesson 10 — Restore Agency Without Rushing Your Decision
- Restore Agency Without Rushing Your Decision
Module 12
Closing — Reflection templates, prayer and sources
On-screen reflection templates, optional closing prayer and source links
- Reflection templates
- Optional closing prayer
- Source notes
Please read before enrolling
This is a free, self-paced, non-assessed educational course. It is designed to help you recognise patterns of coercive control and support your own informed choices. Reflections are optional and private. When you finish the ten lessons, you can download a free Spirit Led Institute Certificate of Completion — no payment details needed.
It is not a qualification, professional training, or an individual counselling service.
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