#TheOutspoken is the only podcast where you, the listener takes charge of the conversation and in Episode 7 we're tackling our toughest topic yet....Coercive Control.

When a listener got in touch to say that she wanted to tell the story of the abuse she suffered in her marriage, she was incredibly nervous yet certain that is felt like the right thing to do. In this episode she tells us what it felt like to be caught in a relationship where her husband gradually reduced and controlled her in practically every way. She wanted to tell her story, in her words, "not out of revenge to my ex, but because if I can help one person in a similar situation to the one I was in, I will have done my job".

Later on I interview Dr Emma Katz who is a Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth at Liverpool Hope University as well as being an expert on Coercive Control. Dr Emma talks us through all the warning signs to look out for and how to get help when you're in a relationship like this.

If you listen to this episode and need help or advice, Dr Emma has kindly provided these links for us:

Surviving Economic Abuse: https://survivingeconomicabuse.org/

Freephone 24 hr National Domestic Violence Helpline - 0808 2000 247

Get support from Women's Aid over live chat: https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/

Refuge: https://www.refuge.org.uk/get-involved/contact-us/

The Men’s Advice Line for male domestic abuse survivors - 0808 801 0327

National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans+ Domestic Abuse Helpline - 0800 999 5428

Helpful books:
⦁ Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship
⦁ Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

Dr Emma Katz's work, which focuses on impacts of coercive control on children and mothers
When Coercive Control Continues to Harm Children: Post-Separation Fathering, Stalking, and Domestic Violence
Coercive Control: Five Factors that Influence Closeness, Distance and Strain in Mother-Child Relationships
How Children Living with Domestic Violence are Harmed By and Resist Regimes of Coercive Control
Recovery-Promoters: Ways that Mothers and Children Support One Another’s Recoveries from Domestic Violence

If you have something that you would like to talk about on #TheOutspoken email me [email protected]