Counsellors’ Role in Promoting Positive Legal Experiences for Canadian Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

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dc.contributor.authorMercer, Dale
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-13T23:21:18Z
dc.date.available2025-10-13T23:21:18Z
dc.date.issued2025-09-01
dc.description.abstractIntimate 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.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/4832
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of Seattle (CityU)
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
dc.rightsopenAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.subjectintimate partner violence
dc.subjectCanadian legal system
dc.subjectcounselling psychology
dc.subjectreflexive thematic analysis
dc.subjectsocial-ecological model
dc.subjectsurvivor experiences
dc.subjectprofessional responses
dc.subjectsocial justice
dc.titleCounsellors’ Role in Promoting Positive Legal Experiences for Canadian Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
dc.typeCapstone
thesis.degree.disciplineCounselling Psychology
thesis.degree.grantorCity University of Seattle (CityU)
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Counselling

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