News and articles

A driving force for the work I do is the response I receive from women that have read about subtle abuse on my website or in the articles I write, or have heard me talk about subtle abuse on podcasts or at conferences. My work resonates with a worrying number of women. I am continuing my work by reaching as many professional women as possible, to help them recognise what they are going through, including the unique aspects of the subtle abuse of professional women, and to pro

Attendees of May's 32nd Annual BACP International Research Conference can watch the recordings of presentations on-demand, as part of their conference booking. But they are only available until Friday 21 August 2026. Once logged into the BACP website you can access the presentations here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/bacp-events/on-demand-services-group/research/researchod26-hpg/researchod26-presentations/ (or click and then log in), and then scroll down to se

I'll be presenting my work on subtle abuse of women of high educational and socio-economic status at the European Network on Gender and Violence conference on 25th – 26th June. ENGV is an interdisciplinary, international network supporting exchange and collaboration about gender and violence among researchers and professionals and they have been active for 30 years. It is the first time I’m presenting to this expert audience, and I’m looking forward to meeting new people and

How do I get word out to therapists about the phenomenon of subtle abuse? I took a step towards this with a well-attended session at the BACP Research Conference in London on May 16th. It was great to have the opportunity to talk to so many therapists about subtle abuse, both in the talk and in personal conversations during the conference. All therapists need to understand the concept of subtle abuse and to know what it looks like in a therapy setting. Until now, therapists

My research has been shaped by two things: - The lack of language for subtle abuse, leaving many women blaming themselves. - Hearing how therapists, without awareness of it, can sometimes miss or even reinforce the harm. On May 16th I’ll be sharing what subtle abuse is, how it psychologically traps women, and how therapists can begin to recognise the signs. If you’re going, please let me know!

In December 2025 the Medical Women's Federation (MWF) and The Doctor's Association (DAUK) launched a domestic abuse awareness campaign for healthcare professionals. I have contributed to their Substack as a part of the campaign with an article - How to know when it's abuse: the four elements . I hope that viewing their experience through the lens of these four elements will help more people to recognise subtle abuse. Find the article on Substack here (MWF) and here (DAUK

The Badly Broken Tribe is a community for growth, connection and resilience to help with healing after heartbreak and major life shifts. In The Badly Broken Podca st Rosemary answers questions around the theme of 'Is it abuse... or am I overreacting?' Find it on Spotify here .

The Doctors'​ Association UK released a podcast as part of NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day. I spoke with Drs Seema Haider and Ellen Welch, and we discussed the psychological impacts, case studies and the importance of recognising and naming this form of abuse - and just why it is a hidden epidemic. Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/eyzSBGJh

I’m excited to share the pre-print of my latest research — the first study to explore women’s experiences of ongoing abuse that occurs solely at a subtle level. The findings are clear: Subtle abuse can have profound, significant, and long-lasting effects, even when it leaves no visible marks and is so hard to recognise. Subtle abuse needs to be part of the mainstream narrative. https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/zfteu_v1

Deborah Copaken is the New York Times bestselling author. She’s also been a war photographer, TV producer, screenwriter, and performer. Her most recent book is Ladyparts, and she publishes a Webby Award-winning Substack by the same name. We have an interesting discussion of subtle abuse and Deborah's experiences. Find on YouTube https://youtu.be/k4gDgkei5HI?si=4WcwB2BYMmgWCVH4

LilRobin covers all things involved in domestic abuse in her podcast Sing lil Robin_abuse_recovery . In our conversation we discuss the characteristics of subtle abuse. Listen on Spotify here .