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Enrol freeReflective Safeguarding · by Sharon Mackenzie SpiritRSPrac
Recognising Coercive Control in the Workplace and Church
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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.
Control can be difficult to recognise where loyalty, service, professionalism or spiritual commitment are highly valued. A harmful demand may be presented as dedication. A concern may be recast as disloyalty. A person may carry responsibility while having little real power to make decisions or question those above them.
This course helps employees, volunteers and church members examine patterns that affect their ability to speak, disagree, rest, set limits and participate freely. It uses the same eight lenses as the personal relationships course, with examples drawn from organisational life.
In this course, coercion and control are educational descriptions of behaviour and its function. They do not automatically establish a criminal offence, employment claim or safeguarding threshold. Workplace bullying, psychosocial hazards, discrimination and spiritual abuse have their own definitions and processes. These distinctions do not require you to ignore harmful conduct while deciding what label applies.
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
- Recognise controlling patterns
- Distinguish legitimate oversight from arbitrary or retaliatory power
- Identify boundary attrition and exemplary punishment
- Assess whether responsibility is matched by usable authority
- And map a support or review pathway appropriate to your position
Course outline
Module 1
Opening — Course introduction
Introduction, framework and attribution
- Course introduction
Module 2
Lesson 1 — Authority, Accountability and the Freedom to Disagree
- Authority, Accountability and the Freedom to Disagree
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 Organisational Attention
- Trivial Demands & Displacement of Organisational Attention
Module 11
Lesson 10 — Women’s Authority, Independent Review and Restored Agency
- Women’s Authority, Independent Review and Restored Agency
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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