Coercive control in family law: what you can see, and what to do about it.
A one-hour session for solicitors, barristers and mediators, taught by a clinical psychologist. It covers the psychology, not the law.
In one hour you will learn
- How control continues after separation, through children, money, messages and the court process
- How clients on both sides get misread, and what to look for instead
- "Weaponised reasonableness": reasonable-sounding requests that are used to keep control
- Why good advice does not land when a client is triggered, and what to do first
- How to name your own calm, so a client reads it as support and not indifference
- How to respond to a disclosure, and what help to bring in
What you take away
- An in-the-room checklist
- A wording card
- A referral map
- A reflective CPD log for your own records
- A CPD certificate for one hour
Who it is for
- Family law solicitors
- Barristers
- Mediators
- Family-court professionals
Dr Craig Newman
Dr Craig Newman, Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Chartered Psychological Coach, and founder of Clear from Control, a ReNurture CPD pathway. He developed Narrative Regulation Therapy and the CARE framework, wrote Get Out Get Love (Hachette UK, 2024), and brings both clinical and lived experience of coercive control to this work. Read the full trainer profile →
Launching in November 2026
We are collecting expressions of interest now. Everyone who registers will be told first when the session launches. It costs £29 and includes the four handouts.
For your team
Want this for the whole team, with time for questions on your own cases? Craig runs live sessions for firms and chambers.
For your clients
When a client is too distressed to take advice or make decisions, they need support you cannot give in a legal appointment. ReNurture is a self-supported programme for trauma recovery and boundary building that clients can start the same day.
The referral map in your handouts explains when to suggest it.
Common questions.
- Is this legal training?
- No. It covers what coercive control does to people and how to work with them. The law stays with you.
- I'm a mediator, not a lawyer. Is it for me?
- Yes. It is built around what you see in the room, whichever seat you are in.
- Can I book for a team?
- Yes. Craig runs live sessions for firms and chambers: ask about team training.
- Is the content distressing?
- It covers domestic abuse without graphic detail. The case examples are fictional. You can pause at any point.