What looks like protection may actually be power and control.
Dear Colleague,
Financial abuse is one of the least recognized forms of control in intimate partner violence. It often hides behind the appearance of care. A partner offers to manage the bills, handle the bank account, or support the household so the survivor can “focus on family.” But the truth behind these offers is restriction, surveillance, and dependency.
Many survivors cannot leave simply because they cannot afford to.
Financial abuse is strategic. It isolates, erodes autonomy, and traps.
Tactics can include withholding access to money, sabotaging employment, preventing education, forcing debt, or refusing to pay court-ordered support. Some survivors are denied basic necessities unless they comply with their partner’s demands. Others are made to feel incapable or unworthy of financial independence.
As providers, we must name this form of abuse clearly and plan for it intentionally.
Help survivors identify their current resources and any potential avenues for support. This could include public benefits, safe family connections, financial literacy tools, or referrals to DV-specific services. Begin budget planning if appropriate, and always factor economic vulnerability into your safety planning conversations.
The journey to economic safety is layered, but it begins with awareness.
For more reflection and survivor-centered tools, the Reclaiming Strength Workbook includes powerful prompts and exercises for rebuilding agency and confidence after economic and emotional control.
With appreciation for all you do,
#financialabuse #supportsurvivors #safetyplanning #powerandcontrol #healingafterabuse