Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship

This comprehensive, exceptionally helpful guide to coercive relationships will enable readers to identify abusive patterns, determine safe responses, and plan exit strategies. Fontes (Interviewing Clients Across Cultures) has a doctorate in counseling psychology and is an expert in family and domestic violence. Her expertise comes out in every page as she outlines problem behaviors and presents multiple options (leaving, defining new boundaries, determining how to safely stay in a relationship) in a non-judgmental but pragmatic fashion. She is also sensitive to issues around coercive relationships for teens and the LGBT community, cautioning readers to not think of coercive relationships as only involving male-on-female abuse. Overall, Fontes has a firm command of both the explanations and descriptions of coercive behavior, as well as how people in such relationships can extricate themselves. She is careful to detail numerous ways coercive behavior can occur, making sure readers know that physical violence is not always inevitable. Fontes minimizes clinical terminology, resulting in an eminently readable book. Readers who want to check their own relationships or keep an eye out for their loved ones will find this to be a fascinating, disturbing read. (Apr.)