Domestic Abuse and Trauma Informed Training for Organisations and Professionals
Helping your people handle emotionally difficult situations with greater confidence, clarity and care
CPD-accredited training
Patron of The DASH Charity
Domestic abuse, toxic relationships and traumatic separation do not stay at home.
They can affect an employee or client’s confidence, concentration, communication, decision-making, performance and emotional wellbeing.
Some people continue to appear successful, capable and completely in control while privately feeling frightened, overwhelmed or unable to make decisions.
Others may become emotional, distracted, inconsistent or withdrawn. They might miss deadlines, struggle to retain information, react defensively or appear to be falling apart.
These behaviours can easily be misunderstood when the people around them do not understand how domestic abuse and trauma can present.
Managers and professionals are not expected to become therapists.
They do, however, need the confidence and practical skills to recognise when something may be wrong, begin a sensitive conversation, maintain appropriate boundaries and signpost support.
Would your people know how to respond?
What would happen if an employee or client:
- Disclosed domestic abuse to a manager.
- Became highly emotional during a professional conversation.
- Appeared overwhelmed and unable to make a decision.
- Began missing deadlines or struggling to perform.
- Disclosed that they were leaving a toxic or controlling relationship.
- Appeared frightened of a partner or former partner.
- Needed help beyond the professional’s usual role.
- Left the staff member receiving the disclosure emotionally affected or unsure what to do next.
Policies and procedures are important, but people also need to know how to use them during a real conversation with a distressed human being.
Without practical training, even caring and experienced professionals may worry about saying the wrong thing, making the situation worse or becoming too personally involved.
Practical skills without turning professionals into therapists
Sara’s training helps professionals support someone appropriately while remaining within their role, competence and comfort zone.
Your people can learn how to:
- Recognise less obvious signs of domestic abuse, coercive control and trauma.
- Understand how trauma may affect behaviour, memory, confidence and communication.
- Avoid automatically interpreting distress as poor attitude, unreliability or lack of capability.
- Begin a sensitive conversation without making assumptions.
- Use language that reduces pressure and preserves choice.
- Respond to emotional disclosures with greater calm and confidence.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Signpost specialist support safely.
- Follow the organisation’s existing internal pathways.
- Protect their own emotional wellbeing.
The aim is not to diagnose, investigate or counsel.
It is to give people a safe, professional toolkit for recognising, responding and signposting.
Training for leaders, managers and professional teams
Training can be tailored for:
- Boards and senior leadership teams.
- People managers.
- HR and people teams.
- Wellbeing and employee-support teams.
- Safeguarding professionals.
- Client-facing professionals.
- Professional-services firms.
- Customer-service and support teams.
- Organisations employing people across the UK and internationally.
Awareness sessions
A focused introduction to hidden domestic abuse, trauma-affected behaviour, possible signs and more informed communication.
Half-day workshops
Practical learning that develops greater understanding and confidence in sensitive conversations, boundaries and signposting.
Full-day specialist training
A deeper CPD-accredited programme with realistic scenarios, discussion, communication practice and practical application.
The full-day programme gives participants the time and space to explore complex situations properly rather than only receiving a high-level overview.
Board and strategic advisory support
Sara can work alongside your board, leadership, HR, wellbeing or safeguarding teams as a specialist advisor.
This gives your organisation access to domestic-abuse, trauma and toxic-relationship expertise without needing a full-time internal specialist.
Advisory support may include:
- Board or leadership discussions.
- Insight into the lived impact of domestic abuse and trauma.
- Learning and development priorities.
- Trauma-informed communication.
- Professional boundaries and signposting.
- Employee or client support pathways.
- Review of selected communications or areas of the employee or client experience.
- Ongoing specialist input as part of the wider advisory mix.
Sara remains within her specialist remit and works alongside—not in place of—the organisation’s existing legal, HR, policy, compliance, safeguarding and clinical professionals.
Confidential coaching and specialist referrals
Organisations can provide a trusted route to confidential support for employees, directors, senior leaders or clients navigating:
- Domestic abuse.
- Toxic or controlling relationships.
- Breakup and divorce.
- High-conflict separation.
- Post-separation abuse.
- Emotional overwhelm and loss of confidence.
- Difficult boundaries or communication.
- The practical and emotional impact of leaving a relationship.
Sara provides discreet one-to-one support for private HNW and UHNW clients by application.
Online support is also available through her Elite Team of Breakup, Divorce and Domestic Abuse Coaches in the UK and internationally.
Supporting the wellbeing of the people who provide support
Emotionally difficult disclosures can also affect the person receiving them.
Managers and professionals may carry worry, responsibility or emotional distress after supporting someone through a difficult situation.
Training helps people understand:
- What sits within their role.
- What sits outside their role.
- When to involve other internal professionals.
- When to signpost externally.
- How to avoid taking responsibility for solving the entire situation.
- How to protect their own boundaries and wellbeing.
Supporting employees and clients well should not come at the cost of the wellbeing of the professionals trying to help them.
About Sara Davison
Sara Davison is The Divorce Coach, a Board and Strategic Advisor, corporate trainer and leading global expert in breakup, divorce, domestic abuse and toxic relationship recovery.
She brings together more than 30 years of coaching experience, specialist professional knowledge and personal lived experience as a survivor of domestic abuse.
Sara is:
- Founder of The Breakup & Divorce Club.
- Founder of the International Divorce Coach Centre of Excellence, with more than 800 coaches trained across 31 countries.
- Creator of accredited domestic-abuse and trauma-informed programmes.
- Patron of The DASH Charity.
- A five-times bestselling author and podcast host.
- A recognised international media commentator, with appearances across UK and US television.
Her training style is engaging, empathetic, dynamic and practical. She creates space for honest discussion while ensuring participants leave with skills and language they can use in real situations.
“Sara provided some of the best training we have had in years.”
Feedback following domestic-abuse training delivered for the British Government.
Sara has also delivered training for organisations including Mott MacDonald, AMV BBDO and Volvo.
Help your people feel prepared
Your managers and professionals should not have to face emotionally complex situations without the understanding, language or confidence to respond.
Sara can tailor training, advisory input and specialist support to the needs of your organisation and its people.
To arrange an informal conversation:
- Email: sara@saradavison.com
- Website: www.saradavison.com
- Instagram: @saradavisondivorcecoach