Gaslighting in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Integrating Narrative Practices of Resilience and Hope into Clinical Practice
August 19, 2026
When:
Friday, October 30th, 2026
10:00am-12:00pm Eastern
Where:
Zoom
Registration:
For Continuing Education: $35
Free general registration
Register Here:
Following registration, you will be sent the zoom link.
Continuing Education Registration:
For payment for CEs:
About:
Gaslighting is an increasingly ubiquitous but often vaguely defined and understood concept. It refers to a unique form of psychological abuse that targets an individual’s ability to trust their own perceptions and judgment.
This presentation aims to provide a clear and specific definition of gaslighting in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), share findings from interviews with IPV survivors about their experiences of gaslighting tactics and healing, and introduce the Gaslighting in Relationships Scale (GRS) for assessing the presence of gaslighting in relationships.
Learning Objectives:
- Define and describe gaslighting in the context of IPV.
- Understand contextual factors that may exacerbate or mitigate gaslighting.
- Explore ways to identify and assess gaslighting in relationships.
Helen P. Hailes, PhD, is a staff psychologist in private practice at Kendall Psychological Associates in Cambridge, MA. She completed her BA in philosophy and human rights at the University of Chicago, MSc in psychiatry at the University of Oxford, PhD in counseling psychology at Boston College, predoctoral internship at the Yale School of Medicine, and postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Bedford Healthcare System. Her research and clinical work focus on interpersonal violence and trauma. Her master’s thesis was on the long-term sequelae of childhood sexual abuse and her dissertation was on gaslighting in intimate partner violence. In addition, Dr. Hailes leverages her clinical and research background to serves as an expert witness in legal cases pertaining to intimate partner violence.
References:
- Hailes, H. P., & Goodman, L. A. (2025). “They’re out to take away your sanity”: A qualitative investigation of gaslighting in intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence, 40(2), 269-282.
- Hailes, H. P., Goodman, L. A., Zhang, E., & Gutowski, E. R. (2025). Development and Validation of the Gaslighting in Relationships Scale (GRS). Journal of Family Violence, 1-13.
- Klein, W., Li, S., & Wood, S. (2023). A qualitative analysis of gaslighting in romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 30(4), 1316-1340.
- Sweet, P. L. (2019). The sociology of gaslighting. American sociological review, 84(5), 851-875.
CE BROKER COURSE 20-1411769
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All CEs require additional steps during registration including a pre-training survey, a $35 fee, and an evaluation form returned to us following the training.
Continuing Education (CE) information:
- 2 CE for Psychologists through APA.
- 2 CE for School Psychologists through NASP.
*Florida License Only - 2 Credit Hours provided for LCSW, LMHC & LMFT in the State of Florida only.
*Upon request, The Melissa Institute will provide a certificate of completion that can be self-reported to other state boards. We cannot guarantee that it will be accepted by other boards for approval.
The Melissa Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists and maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Important Disclosure:
None of the planners or presenters of this educational activity have any relevant financial relationships to disclose with ineligible companies, defined as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
For the purposes of this disclosure, financial relationships are considered relevant when the content an individual can control is related to the business lines or products of such ineligible companies.