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Coercive Control in Children's and Mothers' Lives
Coercive control is a severe form of domestic violence experienced by millions of children worldwide. It involves a perpetrator using a range of tactics to intimidate, humiliate, degrade, exploit, isolate and control a partner or family member. Some coercive control perpetrators use violence, others do not.
Drawing on interviews with children and mothers who have experienced coercive control-based domestic violence, this groundbreaking book sheds light on the impacts of coercive control on children, how it is perpetrators who must be held accountable for those impacts, and how resistance by children and mothers occurs. Resistance happens in everyday life, not just in response to incidents of violence. Breaking free from coercive control is not a one-off event but a sustained battle for safety and recovery in which child and adult survivors need supports and professional interventions that work.
Written accessibly for students, researchers, practitioners, survivors of domestic violence, and anyone with a general interest in the topic, the book provides a child-centered perspective to revolutionize our understanding of how children are affected by coercive control-based domestic violence.
Drawing on interviews with children and mothers who have experienced coercive control-based domestic violence, this groundbreaking book sheds light on the impacts of coercive control on children, how it is perpetrators who must be held accountable for those impacts, and how resistance by children and mothers occurs. Resistance happens in everyday life, not just in response to incidents of violence. Breaking free from coercive control is not a one-off event but a sustained battle for safety and recovery in which child and adult survivors need supports and professional interventions that work.
Written accessibly for students, researchers, practitioners, survivors of domestic violence, and anyone with a general interest in the topic, the book provides a child-centered perspective to revolutionize our understanding of how children are affected by coercive control-based domestic violence.
- GenresNonfiction
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2022
17 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 2, 2022
This book is a must read for everyone no matter what your involvement, experience, or knowledge of domestic violence, domestic abuse, child abuse, narcissism, or coercive control.
Very little is commonly known about this horrific type of abuse and therefore it is not understood or treated by the public, courts, friends, family, social workers, GALs, Custody Evaluators and nearly everyone else in society.
Children and mothers are being abused daily and courts are placing children in homes that they know are abusive. Education needs to be vast and wide to prevent filicide, femicide and child abuse. The more this is talked about openly, discussed in depth, and understood, the better a child's chances are for being protected. Abuse thrives in silence.
Abuse isn't always physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse is so damaging to a child.
Emma is a pioneer in this research as to how coercive control affects children. This is a must read, for everyone. Everyone knows someone who is being abused and if you don't know the signs, you would never know. Arm yourself with the knowledge to be able to recognize coercive control and help safe lives.
Very little is commonly known about this horrific type of abuse and therefore it is not understood or treated by the public, courts, friends, family, social workers, GALs, Custody Evaluators and nearly everyone else in society.
Children and mothers are being abused daily and courts are placing children in homes that they know are abusive. Education needs to be vast and wide to prevent filicide, femicide and child abuse. The more this is talked about openly, discussed in depth, and understood, the better a child's chances are for being protected. Abuse thrives in silence.
Abuse isn't always physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse is so damaging to a child.
Emma is a pioneer in this research as to how coercive control affects children. This is a must read, for everyone. Everyone knows someone who is being abused and if you don't know the signs, you would never know. Arm yourself with the knowledge to be able to recognize coercive control and help safe lives.
October 13, 2025
Wow—just wow. I could relate to nearly every single story in this book. Dr. Katz captures the reality that coercive control is one of the hardest forms of abuse to prove to the outside world.
The emotional and psychological damage, the financial manipulation, the spiritual erosion—it all leaves wounds that are invisible but incredibly deep.
Many people will never experience this kind of betrayal from someone they once loved and trusted. But for those who have, you know how devastating it is when your children are weaponized to hurt you—used as pawns with zero empathy, zero accountability, and zero respect for the law or for humanity.
It’s a sickening experience to live through coercive control.
If you or someone you know is experiencing anything like this, please reach out for support. Don’t let your voice—or your child’s—be silenced. Help is out there.
The emotional and psychological damage, the financial manipulation, the spiritual erosion—it all leaves wounds that are invisible but incredibly deep.
Many people will never experience this kind of betrayal from someone they once loved and trusted. But for those who have, you know how devastating it is when your children are weaponized to hurt you—used as pawns with zero empathy, zero accountability, and zero respect for the law or for humanity.
It’s a sickening experience to live through coercive control.
If you or someone you know is experiencing anything like this, please reach out for support. Don’t let your voice—or your child’s—be silenced. Help is out there.
March 6, 2023
This is such an important book. It should be used to train family court judges and staff, as well as social workers and anyone else who interacts with women and children (yeah, everyone).
I've already read quite a bit about the topic but I still found the organization of the book and the presentation of the ideas to be extremely helpful.
Definitely recommend.
I've already read quite a bit about the topic but I still found the organization of the book and the presentation of the ideas to be extremely helpful.
Definitely recommend.
March 16, 2025
Very insightful look into the tortured world of women subject of this insidious type of abuse. A book everyone should read because if it is not your story, I am confident it is or will be the story of someone you love. Dr. Emma Katz is a genius in the field of Coercive Control. This book should be required reading for judges and attorneys who represent parents in custody disputes.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews