Counsellors’ Role in Promoting Positive Legal Experiences for Canadian Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
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Authors
Mercer, Dale
Issue Date
2025-09-01
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
intimate partner violence , Canadian legal system , counselling psychology , reflexive thematic analysis , social-ecological model , survivor experiences , professional responses , social justice
Alternative Title
Abstract
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and prevalent threat to women's safety and wellbeing in Canada and globally. Drawing from my counselling work with IPV survivors, I observed that many clients feel overwhelmed and retraumatized by their interactions with the legal system. This capstone explores how female survivors of IPV experience the Canadian legal system, which factors contribute to positive or negative experiences, and how counsellors can promote more supportive legal outcomes. Using reflexive thematic analysis of 22 Canadian studies, I developed a paired thematic framework and applied it to an adapted social-ecological model. Survivor and professional accounts reveal that while some positive experiences occur,
many women face systemic barriers, biased attitudes, and inconsistent professional responses that perpetuate harm. Recommendations for future research, policy reform, and clinical practice are offered at each systemic level. This project underscores how counselling psychologists can advocate for systemic change and promote safer, more empowering legal experiences for Canadian IPV survivors.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess