The PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ provides a new framework designed to overcome professional bias, validate survivors, and transform the systems currently failing victims of coercive control.
We are proud to announce the publication of the 2026 IJCAM Volume 9. This issue explores critical dynamics of coercive control across religious, digital, and interpersonal contexts. Contributors introduce transformative models for professional competency, such as SINCERE and the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model, while addressing institutional betrayal and the deep impacts of intergenerational cult trauma. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing articles published in this most recent volume.
This is a summary version of an academic article written by Kate Amber and Roderick Dubrow-Marshall, first published in the International Journal of Coercive Abuse and Manipulation (IJCAM), Vol. 9, 2026. Read the full academic article on IJCAM, and the summary below.
At a glance
Coercive control remains “invisible in plain sight” due to systemic biases and outdated professional policies that focus on single incidents rather than patterns of behavior. This study investigates the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ (PSQM), a training tool that uses metaphor and psychoeducation to improve detection and intervention. Results indicate the model effectively validates survivors while providing professionals with a necessary “new lens” to recognize systemic failures and perpetrator tactics.
Who this article is for: This article is essential for professionals in law enforcement, mental health, and the legal system who work with survivors of domestic abuse or cultic groups. It is also deeply relevant for survivors seeking a validated framework to understand and articulate their experiences of entrapment.
Abstract
Research findings point to widespread societal and structural impediments that currently hinder efforts to assist survivors of coercive control, hold perpetrators accountable, and enable system professionals to develop and implement essential policies and procedures for bringing about meaningful systemic change (Hill, 2020). To address some of these impediments, a professional and survivor of coercive control designed the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ (PSQM), which centers survivors’ experiences, overcomes professionals’ biases and assumptions, and contextualizes coercive control to improve detection and prevention outcomes. This mixed-methods study on the PSQM aimed to test the model’s reception amongst survivors and professionals, and its potential ability to efficiently and effectively facilitate the initiation of systemic transformation.
For the purposes of this paper, “professionals” include anyone who works with survivors and/or perpetrators in a professional capacity, including law enforcement, mental health professionals, court professionals, and advocates. Study results showed a high appreciation for the PSQM’s ability to educate, validate, motivate, empower, and inspire participants. Thematic analysis revealed numerous opportunities for systemic change, which a training model (such as the PSQM) might address more successfully. Quantitative analysis suggests that survivors of more than one form of coercive control who are also professionals in the field have a particularly high appreciation for the model. This finding indicates that survivor professionals may be particularly appreciative of the complexity of coercive control to the benefit of clients.
Study results also support the inclusion of survivors’ input during every stage of policy development and implementation to increase their liberty and autonomy, reduce re-traumatization, improve perpetrator accountability, and fill systemic gaps to reduce coercive control worldwide. The PSQM, as a form of psychoeducation, showed promise for survivor healing and empowerment and pointed to potential directions for future model development and implications for practice. While the PSQM showed potential to fill many gaps, the study also identified areas where further research and systemic implementation are needed to address unanswered questions regarding coercive controllers’ intentions and capacity for change.
Key points
The invisible pandemic of systemic failure
Despite new legislation, many systems intended to protect survivors actually facilitate “institutional betrayal” by relying on outdated policies. Law enforcement often focuses solely on physical violence, while family courts may default to 50/50 custody presumptions even when abuse is present. These systemic gaps allow coercive controllers to continue their patterns of domination, often re-traumatizing survivors who seek help.
“Antiquated coercive policies and practices exist throughout the very systems (e.g., legal, health, etc.) intended to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable (Goldstein, 2014; Hill, 2020; Myhill & Hoyle, 2016), making it even more challenging for coercive control to be effectively addressed.” (Page 1)
Metaphor as a tool for rapid education
The PSQM utilizes the metaphor of “quicksand” to simplify the complex and nuanced nature of coercive control. By using learning styles, alliteration, and engaging video content, the model aims to speed up comprehension for busy professionals. This approach helps learners understand that victims do not just “sink” instantly but are slowly entrapped by a pattern of behavior.
“Participants showed appreciation for simplifying coercive control’s complexity, facilitating systemic change, and validating and empowering survivors. P7 states: `It summarized relevant models in a framework that made clear sense to those who are familiar as well as new to the concept´.” (Page 8)
Strategies for overcoming professional bias
The research identifies a significant clinical and systemic hurdle: professionals often operate under “unconscious incompetence,” meaning they are unaware of their own implicit biases or “ignorant of their ignorance” regarding the dynamics of coercive control. To address this, the training utilizes a non-confrontational approach termed “Honey vs Flypaper” (HvsF), which suggests that presenting information with deference and respect is more effective than direct attacks on a professional’s current methods. This strategy fosters a “bias awareness” that encourages professionals to abandon outdated, incident-based lenses in favor of a pattern-based understanding of entrapment.
“Participants interviewed, whether survivors, professionals, or both, emphasized problematic, widespread bias, lack of training, and minimal, if any, clear professional understanding of coercive control. Interviewees highlighted how these challenges grew when professionals were unable to accept the reality of glaring systemic failure.” (Page 7)
Identifying the DARVO strategy
The model emphasizes DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender), a common tactic used by abusers to escape accountability. When systems fail to recognize DARVO, they often use the survivor’s adaptive responses—such as inconsistency or emotional distress—as ammunition against them. Recognizing this pattern is essential for accurately assessing who is the victim and who is the perpetrator in complex legal cases.
“DARVO compounds survivors trauma when professionals fail to appropriately contextualize coercive control and recognize that survivors’ responses are adaptations to coercive control, rather than character defects.” (Page 8)
From incident-based to pattern-based intervention
The study advocates for a paradigm shift from looking at isolated acts of violence to understanding the holistic pattern of coercion and control. This involves recognizing “coercive violence,” where abusers weaponize state systems—like child protective services—to abuse their victims by proxy. A pattern-based lens allows professionals to see victims’ reactions as survival strategies rather than character flaws.
“This collaborative approach may facilitate a paradigm shift from an incident-based perspective to a more holistic pattern-based understanding of coercion and control across contexts.” (Page 15)
Conclusion summary
The study concludes that the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ is an effective psychoeducational tool that empowers survivors and motivates professionals to address systemic gaps. By providing a simplified yet comprehensive lens, the model encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration and a move toward pattern-based assessments of abuse. Ultimately, integrating survivors’ lived experiences into professional training is key to transforming the very systems that currently allow coercive control to thrive.
Why is this important
This research highlights a critical but under-addressed area: the role of systems in perpetuating abuse. While many studies focus on the psychological impact on individuals, this article bridges the gap between personal trauma and systemic reform. The use of metaphor and “survivor professionals” as a specific demographic offers a fresh perspective on how to achieve rapid, cross-sector education in a field that is often siloed and overwhelmed.
About the authors
Kate Amber, Affiliated with End Coercive Control USA and the University of Salford. Roderick Dubrow-Marshall, Affiliated with the University of Salford and RETIRN, UK.
