When the Client is the Victim of Coercive Control: Challenges and Tips for Working with Refugee Families and Communities
This essential Clinical Master Class webinar will provide you with a grounding in the multiple intersecting factors that can make people from refugee backgrounds at a higher risk of domestic and family violence, and coercive control in particular. It will outline therapeutic strategies for managing this incredibly sensitive issue.
From Dr Manjula Datta O’Connor, a psychiatrist in private practice and an Hon Clinical A/Prof at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, you will receive an overview of coercive control and its impact, as well as practical tips for a culturally sensitive approach when communicating and managing migrant and refugee women experiencing coercive control.
Rebecca Wall, a STARTTS Mental Health Social Worker and Counsellor, will give a real-life example, based on Sami, a 15-year-old client from a refugee background. She will outline Sami’s and her family’s story, current symptoms and presentation, and discuss the assessment and treatment process through culturally sensitive, trauma informed and biopsychosocial lens.
You will be able to engage with Prof Manjula Datta O’Connor and Rebecca Wall via a live Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. You will come away with an understanding of the complexities and challenges of working with cases of coercive control.
Dr Manjula Datta O’Connor
Dr Manjula Datta O’Connor is a psychiatrist in private practice with clinical and research interest in migrant women’s mental health, family violence, complex trauma and trauma therapy. She is Hon Clinical A/ Professor at the Department of Psychiatry University of Melbourne, and Adjunct Professor UNSW Department of Social Sciences. Manjula is the Chair of the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Family Violence Psychiatry Network. Manjula co-founded the NGO, the Australasian Centre for human rights and health (ACHRH) in 2012. She successfully led the dowry abuse campaign in Australia culminating in law change in Victoria IN 2019, inclusion of dowry abuse, as an example of coercive controlling tactic in the National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence 2023, and currently advocating to change Federal Laws and Coercive Control legislation.
Rebecca Wall
Rebecca Wall is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker who has been working with STARTTS since 2016. She has extensive experience providing clinical assessment and treatment to a diverse range of people with a torture and trauma background and divides her time between STARTTS and her private practice in Wollongong. She works psychodynamically and is heavily influenced by attachment theory, relational and systemic approaches and frames her work through a somatic and neurobiology lens. A human rights perspective underpins Rebecca’s work with refugees and asylum seekers, and she is acutely aware of the injustice many clients have faced in their lifetime, and that they bring much resilience, resources and skills on their journey to recovery. She enjoys a reciprocal and exploratory learning space in therapy and believes that relationship and witnessing is paramount to healing and safety. She has a keen interest in working with children and adolescents and specialises in resourcing people with PTSD, anxiety and depression.
Jorge Aroche
Jorge Aroche is a clinical psychologist and STARTTS’ Chief Executive Officer. Jorge was born in Uruguay and has worked with migrants and refugee survivors of torture and organized violence since before 1989, when he joined STARTTS. He has led the organization since March 1997, through some of the most challenging times for refugee services in Australia, helping STARTTS grow from a dozen staff to more than 200, assuming a truly state-wide role and becoming a world leader in this field in the process, while continuing to learn from its clients, its culturally diverse staff and the latest scientific advances. Jorge has also held a number of honorary positions in international humanitarian organizations, Australia government advisory bodies and NGO boards. He was the President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2016 until November 2020.
Who should attend?
This free live webinar is open to anyone working with or interested in working with people from refugee backgrounds who are victims of coercive control such as counsellors, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, case managers etc. PDFs of the slides and a certificate of completion will be emailed to you the day after the event.
CPD points – 1.5 CPD hours
This webinar adheres to the continuing professional development standards of most professional bodies. Please check the CPD policy of your professional body.
Clinical Master Classes are recorded
This event will be recorded. The recordings and slides of many of STARTTS’ previous Clinical Master Classes can be viewed for free via the Free Recorded Webinars page. The slides can be downloaded and you can issue yourself with a certificate of completion after viewing the recordings.
Contact us
stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au
(02) 9646 6700 Ask for the Training Administration Officer