When The Client is the Victim of Coercive Control: Challenges and Tips for Working with Refugee Families and Communities

Certificate of Completion

To be issued with a Certificate of Completion you need to view the recordings by clicking on the modules listed under ‘Course Content’ below. You will need to watch the recordings in full to be issued with a certificate. If you prefer to watch individual recordings only, then click on the links for the individual recordings in the ‘Course Description’ below.

Course Description

Explore how coercive control manifests in the lives of refugee and migrant families, and what it means to respond as a clinician in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way. This free Clinical Master Class will unpack the complex, often hidden dynamics of power, control, and systemic vulnerability affecting women, children, and families from refugee backgrounds. Join Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor, psychiatrist and nationally recognised advocate for migrant women’s safety, and Rebecca Wall, STARTTS Counsellor and Mental Health Social Worker, as they share powerful clinical insights and practical tools drawn from frontline work with refugee survivors of coercive control.

Recording 1: Manjula Datta O’Connor, Psychiatrist, Private Practice, Prof, University of Melbourne. Recording link: https://youtu.be/QA95GE6Na5Q

Recording 2: Rebecca Wall, Mental Health Social Worker, STARTTS. Recording link: https://youtu.be/MvILWVqdUtc

Recording 3: The Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. Recording link: https://youtu.be/xx1nPvhEzz4

This webinar was recorded on 23 July 2025. © STARTTS

Duration: 81 minutes. 

What you’ll gain

✅ A clear understanding of coercive control, how it operates, and why it is difficult to detect
✅ Awareness of how trauma, displacement, migration stressors, and gender roles intersect with DFV risk
✅ A case-based exploration of therapeutic intervention with a 15-year-old refugee client experiencing coercive family dynamics
✅ Strategies for culturally sensitive and trauma-informed engagement, risk assessment, and safety planning
✅ Insights into navigating therapeutic ruptures, ethical responsibilities, and family complexities in cases of active abuse
✅ Direct access to the presenters in a live Q&A panel moderated by Jorge Aroche, STARTTS CEO and Clinical Psychologist

This webinar is ideal for:

• Mental health professionals including psychologists, counsellors, and social workers
• Domestic and family violence practitioners and caseworkers
• Professionals working with refugee and asylum seeker families
• Therapists supporting children and adolescents affected by family violence
• Clinicians interested in intersectional and culturally responsive trauma care
• Anyone working at the intersection of trauma, migration, and family systems