Family and Domestic Violence
Article by Jayde Lecerf
Psychotherapist and Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia
What is family and domestic violence?
Family and domestic violence refers to a pattern of behaviours used by a person to control or harm another person within a family or domestic relationship. It is often ongoing rather than a single incident and commonly involves coercive control.
Family and domestic violence can take many forms, and it is never the fault of the person experiencing it.
Who can be affected?
Family and domestic violence can happen to anyone. It can occur in:
- Current or past intimate partner relationships
- Relationships involving carers of people with disabilities, health conditions or older adults
- Relationships with family members, relatives, guardians or carers
Coercive control
Coercive control is when a perpetrator uses patterns of abusive behaviour to control another person. Perpetrators exert power and dominance through behaviours over time that create fear, undermine confidence and self-esteem, restrict freedom, and deny a person their autonomy. Coercive control can include the use of physical and non-physical behaviour. The impact of this often builds up over time and can make the victim-survivor feel trapped.
Forms of family and domestic violence
Family and domestic violence does not have to involve physical harm. Many forms of abuse are subtle, hidden, or difficult to recognise. Family and domestic violence can include:
Emotional and psychological abuse: Involves behaviour that undermine a person’s sense of self-worth and emotional safety. This can include manipulation, mind games, insults, threats, humiliation, gaslighting and love bombing.
Physical violence: Includes any use or threats of violence directed toward a person, children, pets or property.
Sexual abuse and violence: Involves power and control and can happen to anyone. It is any sexual activity or behaviour that occurs without consent. This may include:
- Pressure or coercion to engage in sexual activity
- Expecting sex as a way to “make up” after conflict
- Manipulating or misleading someone to engage in sexual activity
- Guilt inducing comments or behaviour when someone says no to sex
- Demands or expectations about how often and when sex should happen
- Sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent
Social isolation: Involves limiting or controlling a person’s access to relationships, community, and support. This may look like excessive questioning about whereabouts or who the person is speaking to, monitoring phone/internet/social media use, jealousy, possessiveness or aggression toward perceived “competition” or isolating someone from their friends and family.
Financial abuse: Involves controlling or restricting a person’s access to money or financial independence. This can include controlling money and its use, denying someone access to money, making financial decisions without consultation, stealing money or selling a person’s possessions.
Technology-facilitated abuse: Uses digital tools to monitor, harass or control another person. This may include tracking someone’s movements/location, sending abusive texts/emails, harassing phone calls or creating fake profiles to contact or monitor someone.
Religious and spiritual abuse: Involves using beliefs, faith, or cultural practices as a means of control. This may include forcing participation in religious or spiritual practices, ridiculing or dismissing beliefs/culture, excluding someone from ceremonies or communities important to them or manipulating religious teachings or cultural traditions to justify violence or control.
Support
There are specific services available to support people affected by family and domestic violence including helplines, counselling, legal support and accommodation assistance.
Counselling offers a safe and confidential space to talk through experiences, understand patterns of abusive behaviour and explore options that prioritise safety and wellbeing.
If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Jayde by:
Phone: 0419 430 836
Email: [email protected]
Mount Lawley Counselling Centre
13 Alvan Street
Mt Lawley (Perth), WA 6050
About the Author - Jayde Lecerf
- Psychotherapist and Counsellor
Jayde is an experienced and empathic therapist who provides client-focused counselling with a warm, strength-based approach. She creates a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental environment where individuals feel genuinely heard, understood, and respected. With a background in both psychology and social work, Jayde offers a holistic and flexible therapeutic style tailored to each client's unique needs.
For more information, please see Jayde Lecerf's profile page
Related Article: Family and Domestic Violence: How did this happen to me? - also by Jayde Lecerf