Survivor and ambitious Northamptonshire businesswoman launches CIC to continue conversations around abuse and control
An abuse survivor and ambitious businesswoman has launched a new CIC, with the aim of continuing important conversations around abuse and coercive control across Northamptonshire.
Caroline Strawson had her home repossessed and was in £70,000 worth of debt from financial abuse more than a decade ago. She was left with nothing as a single mother.
After healing from her experiences and using them to bravely help others, she is now an award-winning trauma therapist, coach, entrepreneur, author and podcaster with a rapidly growing social media presence.
Caroline’s latest venture is No Visible Bruises CIC, which launched in July and shares a name with her podcast which has more than six million downloads.
“My work is centred around challenging mental health systems and the traditional routes of counselling and psychotherapy,” Caroline told the Chronicle & Echo. “When I was in an abusive relationship, they gave me insight and understanding but never changed how I felt.
“That’s when all of my retraining came in and I call it nervous system literacy, which helps people understand why we behave the way we do, how we can change that and it lifts shame. We need this understanding of the brain, mind and body connection in workplaces, schools and the public sector.”
Caroline had thought about launching No Visible Bruises CIC for a long time, to spread awareness that domestic abuse and coercive control do not always need to have physical indicators of struggle.
“It’s difficult to get convictions when there are no visible bruises and some people don’t realise they experienced abuse because it wasn’t physical,” Caroline continued. “It’s about education, prevention, recognition and supporting survivors.
“In schools, we will talk about recognising red flags in relationships when there are no bruises and how social media is used as a tool for manipulation and control. Many teenage girls don’t recognise they are in controlling relationships, and we’ll be supporting the next generation to understand what a healthy relationship is. There are blurred lines.”
Caroline is proud to be adding to her education, having recently started the world’s only masters degree in the psychology of coercive control at the University of Salford.
She said: “I want seats at different tables now and to be a voice in rooms where there will be policy change. More people need to understand the impact of coercive control from a trauma perspective.”
As part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, Caroline hosted a meeting on Tuesday evening (October 20) to discuss the gaps within domestic abuse and coercive control in this county – and what more can be done for victims, survivors and the wider community.
“There are great teams within the police, but survivors often feel judged and not believed,” said Caroline. “The conversation is challenging and they are already in a survival response. Coercive control is a crime and we shouldn’t put the onus on the victim to prove it all. One event might seem quite innocuous but it’s about looking at patterns.
“I want to take this work into more workplaces, schools, homes and the public sector. I’d love to see nervous system literacy everywhere, as a universal language and tangible tools to stop judgement and encourage everyone to be kinder to each other.”
Caroline is thrilled to be up for two awards – business woman of the year at the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards and female founder of the year at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards – and she will soon learn her fate.