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ForwardContracts of Silence: Coercive Control and the Survival Self (May 2026 Virtual Seminar)
Abstract
Coercive control is a pattern of domination that operates through isolation, surveillance, intimidation, gaslighting, and regulation of a person’s autonomy. It frequently occurs without visible physical violence and therefore remains underrecognized in clinical settings. This training situates coercive control within relational trauma, attachment disruption, betrayal trauma theory, and complex dissociation. Participants will examine how coercive control reshapes the nervous system, fragments identity, and reorganizes internal relational networks around survival.
Building on prior presentations exploring transference, countertransference, power, and liberation frameworks, this session examines coercive control as both an interpersonal and structural phenomenon. Clients who have lived within coercive systems may present with dissociation, shame, self-doubt, compliance patterns, hypervigilance, or apparent ambivalence that reflects survival adaptation rather than pathology. Clinicians will explore how authority power, structural power, and epistemic power can be unintentionally reenacted within treatment, particularly when working with individuals whose histories include captivity, institutional betrayal, high demand religious environments, or intimate partner violence.
The training integrates relational psychoanalytic concepts, betrayal trauma theory, complex trauma research, and contemporary neurobiological findings to illuminate how coercive control becomes internalized. Participants will learn to differentiate coercive control from high conflict dynamics, to recognize organized patterns of domination, and to assess for dissociation that may mask entrapment. Attention will be given to pacing, consent as ongoing dialogue, and collaborative restoration of agency.
Grounded in a liberation oriented, trauma responsive framework, this session invites clinicians to examine their own positionality and to recognize coercive control as embedded within broader systems of gendered, racialized, and institutional power. The goal is to enhance ethical assessment, strengthen relational repair, and support survivors in reclaiming dignity, voice, and internal leadership.
Potential to distress: Yes
Target Audience
Those seeking to participate in this seminar must be licensed mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors, accredited psychotherapists, etc.). ISSTD staff will audit license information prior to the start of the course and may request additional documentation for your license.
We do accept students enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree or certification in the mental health field and who have an interest in trauma and dissociation. Students must submit proof of student status such as a transcript or registration record. For those who have completed their degree and are currently in the pre-licensure stage practicing under the license of another clinician, you must provide the name and license information for the person you are working with. Documentation should be sent to ISSTD staff at [email protected] before registering.
This webinar content is at the Beginning/Introductory level.
Learning Objectives
Upon Completion of this seminar, participants will be able to:
- Identify at least four core interpersonal tactics of coercive control (e.g., isolation, gaslighting, surveillance) and relate them to trauma dynamics in clinical assessment
- Differentiate coercive control dynamics from high-conflict interpersonal patterns
- Assess indicators of coercive control in client histories and integrate dissociation patterns
- Select and justify at least three trauma-responsive therapeutic responses that support client autonomy without replicating controlling dynamics
- Critique common clinician enactments of power in treatment and plan at least two strategies to minimize authority power while fostering collaboration
Emma Sunshaw PhD
Emma Sunshaw, PhD, is a licensed clinical counselor and community chaplain. She is on faculty with the International Society of the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She integrated clinical and lived experience to start the non-profit S3C Foundation supporting advocacy, education, and community so that survivors can live.
Dr. Sunshaw was the 2025 Fall Semester Clinical Honorarium for Harvard Kennedy School of Government: Women & Public Policy Program. Dr. Sunshaw previously served as the international clinical coordinator for humanitarian aid organizations offering counseling and trauma resiliency training to government leaders, humanitarian aid workers, and first responders in war zones, refugee camps, and natural disaster sites. She lectures internationally about trauma and resiliency, is the author of five clinical books, and she is the voice behind "System Speak: A Podcast About Complex Trauma and Dissociation", which airs in 103 countries around the world.
Available Credit
- 6.00 APAThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- 6.00 ASWB ACEThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 6.00 continuing education credits.
- 6.00 ISSTD Certificate ProgramThis program is eligible for 6.00 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Price
"Your Price" above reflects your final price based on your membership status and career level.
- ISSTD defines a student as those enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree or certification in the mental health field and who have an interest in trauma and dissociation.
- ISSTD defines an emerging professional as mental health professionals who have completed an advanced degree and are in the first three years of their career (or first three years after graduation for researchers).
- If you do not fall into one of the above categories please register as Professional/Retired.
These prices are for Tier I countries. For a list of countries by Tier click here. If you are located in a country that falls into Tier II-VI please contact ISSTD at [email protected] to receive the appropriate discount code.
Registration Policies
Cancellations prior to the seminar are subject to a $45 cancellation fee. No refunds are provided for no shows. The deadline for cancellations with a refund is April 27, 2026 at 5:00pm US Eastern Time. Requests for cancellation should be sent to [email protected].
Early bird registration pricing will be available until April 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM US Eastern Time. At this time, registration fees will increase by $50.00 for Emerging Professionals and Professionals.
For additional webinar policies including completion requirements, filing grievances, requesting a disability accommodation, and awarding of certificates of credits, please visit our Webinar Policies page.