{"id":9386,"date":"2022-09-23T08:41:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T08:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=9386"},"modified":"2024-01-15T17:21:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T17:21:44","slug":"domestic-abuse-and-the-fitpro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/domestic-abuse-and-the-fitpro\/","title":{"rendered":"Domestic abuse and the fitness professional"},"content":{"rendered":"

What do you see when you look at the client in front of you? I mean really <\/em>see. We all check form and probably weight and balance. We spend a lot of time with our clients every week and we get told all manner of things. We hear about the highs and the lows of their lives and we get the laughs and the tears, don\u2019t we?<\/h2>\n

Sometimes we hear or suspect things we would really rather not know about. I\u2019m thinking of the cheating partner, the compulsive gambler and the difficult children (to name but a few). We nod wisely and try very hard to focus on the session.<\/p>\n

However, sometimes what we hear may be more serious than that.\u00a0We may have a client experiencing domestic abuse (DA). This is not something we can turn a blind eye to – so what should we, as fitness professionals, do if we suspect a client of ours is suffering from DA?<\/p>\n

What is domestic abuse?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Women\u2019s Aid defines DA as \u201can\u00a0incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour<\/strong>, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all DA makes a physical mark on the victim\/survivor but all DA has an impact. It happens to people in all walks of life.<\/p>\n

Here are some figures (ONS Domestic abuse prevalence and trends, England and Wales: year ending March 2021) \u2013 but remember, these are the ones that were reported to the police. There is no mention of those that weren\u2019t reported:<\/p>\n