Domestic Abuse and Trauma Informed Support for Financial Planning and Wealth Management Firms
Helping your teams recognise hidden vulnerability, handle difficult conversations and support clients with greater confidence
CPD-accredited training
Patron of The DASH Charity
A client may appear successful, intelligent and financially capable while privately feeling unable to make or trust their own decisions.
At other times, they may be visibly falling apart - highly emotional, overwhelmed or struggling to engage with important financial decisions.
They might miss deadlines, change instructions, defer decisions to their adviser or agree to something during a meeting but feel unable to act afterwards.
These behaviours can be difficult to interpret. They may be seen as indecision, inconsistency or poor engagement when trauma, coercive control, domestic abuse or a loss of confidence may be affecting the client’s ability to participate.
Financial planners and wealth managers are not expected to become therapists.
However, they do need the awareness, communication skills and professional boundaries to recognise when something may be wrong, respond appropriately and signpost specialist support.
Supporting the expertise already within your organisation
Financial planning and wealth-management teams already bring considerable professional expertise to their clients.
However, domestic abuse, trauma and emotionally complex situations can sit outside an adviser’s usual training, experience or natural comfort zone - particularly when vulnerability is hidden or has not been disclosed.
Sara works as a specialist part of your wider professional team, complementing the work of boards, leaders, advisers, client-service teams, compliance, vulnerability, safeguarding and HR colleagues.
Her role is to deepen and strengthen your organisation’s understanding and response while remaining within her specialist area of domestic abuse, trauma and toxic relationship recovery.
Challenges your teams may encounter
Even experienced professionals can feel unsure when:
- A client does not recognise or describe their experience as abuse.
- A client becomes emotional, overwhelmed or disconnected during a meeting.
- Instructions change repeatedly or after contact with a partner or former partner.
- A client appears unable to make or trust their own decisions.
- Another person controls the conversation, information or access to money.
- Staff understand the organisation’s process but do not know what to say in the moment.
- An adviser wants to help but is concerned about overstepping professional boundaries.
- A difficult disclosure affects the confidence or emotional wellbeing of the staff member receiving it.
- A client needs specialist support beyond the adviser’s professional role.
One sign does not prove that abuse is taking place. Greater understanding helps teams notice patterns, adapt their communication and respond without making assumptions.
How Sara can support your firm
Specialist training
Practical, engaging training that helps advisers, paraplanners, managers, leaders and client-service teams feel more competent and confident when a conversation becomes emotional, complex or potentially upsetting.
Training can help your teams:
- Recognise less obvious signs of domestic abuse, coercive control and trauma.
- Understand how fear, overwhelm and reduced confidence may affect communication and decision-making.
- Avoid misinterpreting trauma-affected behaviour as disengagement or lack of intelligence.
- Use trauma-informed language and practical phrases that reduce pressure.
- Preserve client choice without taking control of the decision.
- Maintain clear professional boundaries.
- Signpost appropriately without becoming the client’s therapist.
- Understand and follow your organisation’s agreed escalation or safeguarding pathways.
- Protect their own emotional wellbeing.
Training is available as an awareness session, half-day workshop or full-day specialist programme.
The full-day CPD-accredited programme provides more time for realistic financial-planning scenarios, guided discussion, practical application and communication practice.
Board and strategic advisory support
Sara can provide specialist domestic-abuse and trauma-informed insight without the organisation needing to employ a full-time specialist.
Advisory input may support:
- Board and leadership discussions.
- Staff learning and development priorities.
- Client communication and language.
- Selected areas of the client journey.
- Realistic scenarios for internal learning.
- Professional boundaries and signposting.
- Referral options for clients or employees.
- Ongoing access to specialist insight.
Advisory work can be provided for a specific project, a board or leadership session, or through an ongoing relationship tailored to your organisation.
Confidential support for clients and employees
Financial planning and wealth-management firms can refer private clients, directors, senior leaders or employees who need confidential support through:
- Domestic abuse.
- Toxic or controlling relationships.
- Breakup and divorce.
- High-conflict separation.
- Post-separation abuse.
- Loss of confidence and emotional stability.
- Difficult communication, boundaries or decision-making.
Sara provides discreet one-to-one support for HNW and UHNW clients by application.
Clients and employees can also be referred to her Elite Team of Breakup, Divorce and Domestic Abuse Coaches or The Breakup & Divorce Club for online support in the UK and internationally.
Supporting your people without asking them to become therapists
A policy can provide a process. Training gives people the confidence and practical skills to use that process during a real conversation with a distressed human being.
Sara’s work helps professionals recognise, respond and signpost while staying within their role and protecting:
- The client’s voice, choice and safety.
- The professional boundaries of the adviser.
- The emotional wellbeing of the staff member.
- The expertise and responsibilities of the organisation’s existing teams.
Sara does not replace your legal, financial, regulatory, compliance, policy, HR or safeguarding professionals. She works alongside them, bringing specialist insight from her own area of expertise.
About Sara Davison
Sara Davison is The Divorce Coach and a Board and Strategic Advisor with more than 30 years of coaching experience.
She has specialised in breakup, divorce, domestic abuse and recovery for more than 15 years and 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 for coaches and professionals.
- Patron of The DASH Charity.
- A survivor of domestic abuse.
- A five-times bestselling author, podcast host and corporate trainer.
- Recognised as a leading global expert and influencer in breakup, divorce, domestic abuse and toxic relationship recovery.
- A regular contributor to UK, US and international media.
Sara is known for an engaging, empathetic and dynamic presentation style. She creates a safe environment for open discussion and turns sensitive, complex subjects into practical skills that professionals 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.
Create a more confident and informed response
The right support can help your teams approach difficult client situations with greater calm, confidence and clarity.
Training and advisory work can be tailored to your organisation, audience, intended outcomes and available time.
To discuss an appropriate starting point:
- Email: sara@saradavison.com
- Website: www.saradavison.com
- Instagram: @saradavisondivorcecoach