Post-Separation Abuse Wheel

What is post-separation abuse?

Post-separation abuse refers to a pattern of ongoing abuse that persists after the formal end of an intimate relationship (Spearman et. al., 2023). It is commonly seen in cases of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, where the abusive partner continues to exert control, cause harm, or destabilize the survivor through indirect yet harmful means. This form of abuse extends beyond the relationship’s conclusion and frequently infiltrates legal, financial, and parenting systems.

Post-separation abuse manifests through a variety of behaviors that affect mental and physical health. These include emotional abuse, physical and sexual violence, psychological abuse, financial abuse, and legal abuse. Survivors may be subjected to continuous harassment, stalking, and manipulation, particularly through custody disputes or repeated litigation within the family court system. The family court professionals involved in these cases often become conduits—wittingly or unwittingly—for further abuse when the system does not recognize the manipulative intent behind high-conflict tactics.

Common abusive strategies include withholding child support, neglectful or abusive parenting, sabotaging financial and emotional resources, and using parental alienation to disrupt the survivor’s relationship with their children. Survivors may also experience threats or acts of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or sexual violence under the guise of co-parenting or shared custody exchanges. Additionally, separation abuse can take the form of spreading false narratives, damaging reputations, or isolating the survivor from their support network.

It is essential for healthcare professionals to understand that post-separation abuse is a deliberate continuation of coercive control. Recognizing the signs allows for more effective documentation, intervention, and referral, particularly when collaborating with legal and mental health services.

What is the Post-Separation Abuse Wheel?

The Post-Separation Abuse Wheel is a conceptual model developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota (Verney, 2021). It is designed to help professionals recognize the deliberate strategies used by an abusive partner to maintain control over their victim after the relationship has ended. This model builds upon the foundational Power and Control Wheel—commonly used in domestic violence and intimate partner violence cases—by focusing specifically on post-separation abuse and how it continues through various coercive tactics long after the relationship is terminated.

The Post-Separation Abuse Wheel is a visual model developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota. It outlines specific behaviors used by an abusive partner to maintain control after a relationship ends. Building on the Power and Control Wheel used in domestic violence cases, this model highlights patterns such as harassment, intimidation, legal manipulation, and the use of children as tools for coercion.

Healthcare professionals can use this handout to identify ongoing abuse that may not be immediately visible but significantly affects a survivor's mental, emotional, and physical health. The wheel helps clinicians recognize signs of disrupted parenting, financial sabotage, and emotional harm inflicted post-separation.

Moreover, it supports trauma-informed assessments and guides professionals in documenting abuse patterns accurately for therapeutic and legal purposes. This tool also aids in developing targeted safety plans, therapeutic strategies, and inter-agency communication when dealing with high-conflict custody or post-abuse scenarios.

How does it work?

The Post-Separation Abuse Wheel template is designed for seamless integration into clinical workflows. It helps healthcare professionals identify, document, and discuss patterns of abuse that persist beyond relationship termination. Practitioners can incorporate this tool into therapeutic assessments and multidisciplinary case management by following a few simple steps.

Step 1: Access the handout

Click this page's “Use template” button to open the Post-Separation Abuse Wheel in the Carepatron app where the template can be filled out, customized, and securely stored. You can also click "Download" to get a PDF copy of the file.

Step 2: Use the handout in patient sessions

Introduce the handout during therapy or assessment sessions to guide conversations about ongoing abuse patterns. It offers a structured way to validate the patient’s experience while identifying behavioral tactics used by the abusive partner. This can support trauma-informed care and inform your clinical notes.

Step 3: Discuss how the wheel works

Explain that the wheel illustrates tactics of coercive control post-separation, including financial, legal, emotional, and parental manipulation. Walk through each category on the wheel, linking them to the patient’s lived experiences where applicable. This helps contextualize symptoms and supports a more accurate clinical understanding of the abuse.

Step 4: Provide additional patient support and next steps

Use insights from the wheel to determine next steps, including safety planning, referrals to legal or advocacy services, or adjusting therapeutic goals. The handout can also support court documentation or multidisciplinary discussions when managing complex post-separation dynamics.

Benefits of using this template

Using the Post-Separation Abuse Wheel template allows medical professionals to systematically identify and document post-separation abuse tactics that often go unnoticed in clinical and legal settings. It provides a clear framework to assess non-physical forms of abuse that continue after a relationship ends, such as manipulation through financial resources, threats of physical violence, and interference in co-parenting.

The template is particularly useful in cases where domestic abuse perpetrators exploit court orders or weaponize family court proceedings to continue control over the safe parent's life. Clinicians can use the template to support their notes when communicating with custody evaluators, therapists, or legal advocates.

It also strengthens clinical records in situations involving parental alienation allegations, where an abusive ex or former partner may manipulate the narrative to discredit the other parent. Overall, this tool enhances documentation, improves coordination with legal systems, and supports accurate representation in high-conflict court proceedings involving an abusive parent.

References

Spearman, K. J., Vaughan-Eden, V., Hardesty, J. L., & Campbell, J. C. (2023). Post-separation abuse: A literature review connecting tactics to harm. Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/26904586.2023.2177233

Verney, C. (2021, January 27). The post separation abuse wheel. DVACT. https://www.dvact.org/post/the-post-separation-abuse-wheel