The Value of Clemente for Students Experiencing Coercive Control
摘要
Many students in the Clemente course have a history of family violence, including coercive control. Coercive controllers instill negative inner narratives in their victims to micromanage their everyday activities, including education and employment. This chapter is based on research conducted in my doctoral thesis, titled “Changing inner narratives: Exploring the influence of transformative learning on coercive control survivors enrolled in Clemente in several locations in Australia” investigating the potential of the Clemente course to empower students who experience coercive control. The power of students’ voices is heard through the encouragement of narrating their lived experiences of the Clemente course and coercive control. Current students and alums from New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria provide valuable insight into how the Clemente course impacted their lives. The ten students and alums interviewed were gracious and courageous in telling their stories on the sensitive topic of coercive control and family violence and its impact on their education and employment. They speak openly about how Clemente helped them change the inner narratives their controlling partners and families instilled. This chapter concludes that the value of the Clemente course cannot be underestimated in assisting victims-survivors of coercive control to regain control of their lives.