How Perpetrators Manipulate Professionals: Understanding the Tactics Behind Credibility, Confusion and Control

Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno is a lecturer and researcher in women and children’s health and justice at the University of Manchester, UK, and the founder and director of the global SHERA Research Group. She is a world-leading academic expert in her core area of research - how coercive control and post-separation abuse, especially in the family courts, impacts women and children.

Elizabeth specialises in the harms caused by institutions and male-perpetrated abuse, as well as the safety, protection and recovery of mothers and children. All posts contain content you may find upsetting - resources for support are available here.

This post is aimed at professionals, to be used by professionals to assist them in identifying perpetrators. It may be insightful for victim-survivors too. It should not be shared with anyone who you think may be a perpetrator. It is evidence-based on the latest research, but there will always be nuances in the way perpetrators present themselves and this should be used with caution alongside in-depth training.