Resources if You Are the Survivor of Career-Based Intimate Partner Violence

At the Law Office of Scott R. Herndon, we represent survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment in high-profile cases, from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, to Napa, Berkeley, and San Francisco.

We recognize that sexual assault and sexual harassment are often committed within the context of intimate partner violence (IPV).  Whether by acquaintance rape, domestic violence, or workplace assault and harassment, survivors of such trauma are regularly forced to interact with their abusers over extended periods of time.  This cumulative dynamic is all too common in the technology workplace, within powerful Hollywood industries, or even within social circles dominated by influential and powerful men and women.   

The dynamics of career-based IPV can be incredibly complex for all trauma survivors, and not simply for young women and men trying to establish a career or solid social relationships. It is well known that the IPV takes shape over time, often resulting in significant chronic trauma, with cumulative risks of re-victimization (Shepp et al 2020; Jaffe et al 2023).

The Law Office of Scott R. Herndon provides a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to address these dynamics and advocate for survivors of career-based sexual assault and harassment.  This daily practice is grounded in latest research and aimed to help our clients reclaim their lives, dignity, and social standing in their communities, and is fully aligned with research which has called for a holistic, multidimensional approach to understanding IPV (See for instance, Kim et al 2020).

Given that we believe that informed advocacy is the best advocacy, we provide this webpage as an informational overview on recent, peer-reviewed research on several important aspects of career-based IPV in the context of sexual assault and harassment.  (As always, this article is intended for informational purposes only, and does not provide specific medical or legal advice.)

What is Career-Based Interpersonal Violence?

In my past academic teaching at Stanford University, I often used the phrase Career-Based Interpersonal Violence (CIPV) to refer to sexual assault and sexual harassment in a specific set of circumstances—namely, trauma that occurs through the power dynamics of college education, internships and the workplace, or networking for future career opportunities, to name only a few situations where typically young women and men interact with people in perceived positions of power (Waugh 2023).  In such situations, survivors of CIPV often report that they need to “make a good impression” when faced by the ambivalent, suggestive, or even predatory behavior by people in power.  The dynamics of CIPV are similar to other extended relationships, as would-be offenders have repeated and cumulative access and influence over their targets.

CIPV derives from a power imbalance which has been recently been described as asymmetric, persuasive, aggressive, and even biophysically addictive in offenders, promoting disinhibited behavior and overconfidence, dehumanizing behavior, and the sexualization of otherwise neutral social interactions (Tobore 2023).  And given that more than 40% of American women report that they have been sexually assaulted (Smith et al [citing CDC] 2018), the, dynamics of CIPV are more important than ever to understand, even with the widespread social and legal advances of the #MeToo movement.

What Are Some Common Markers of Career-Based Interpersonal Violence?

Gaslighting

Perpetrators often employ manipulative tactics like gaslighting and cognitive distortion to maintain control and silence survivors. Gaslighting can be loosely defined as systematically undermines a survivor’s perception of reality, leading them to doubt their sanity and self-worth. The gaslighting effect trades on gender and power imbalances, where aggressors manipulate women (and sometimes, men), causing them to experience confusion, doubt, and distortions of reality, which can make it difficult to break away from the traumatic relationship, imbalanced dynamic, or hostile workplace environment (Sastre 2025; Spear 2019; Stern 2019; Sweet 2019).  Gaslighting effectively works to prolong the interaction and power imbalance between the aggressor and the victim.  It provides the tragic potential for repeated sexualized and psychological abuse.

For example, work by Evan Stark has explored the lived experiences of women subjected to gaslighting within abusive relationships, revealing how subtle yet persistent manipulation can create a state of perceptual imprisonment, making it incredibly difficult for the victim to trust their own judgment or seek help (Stark 2007). Studies further emphasize the way gaslighting occurs alongside other forms of abuse.

Cognitive Distortion

Cognitive distortions can further perpetuate the chronic cycle of gaslighting.  Cognitive distortion has been described as patterns of thought that reflect distorted or unrealistic interpretations (Beck 1963; 212).  Victims may fall into patterns of cognitive distortion to “reassess and change their negative thoughts about the aggressor and the violent situation in order to find balance and maintain their commitment to the relationship”(Sastre et al 2025; Nicholson & Lutz 2017).  A victim of CIPV may suffer the intense discomfort of an aggressor’s advances, but still wish to keep her job (or opportunity), and fall into this cognitive pattern in order to continue to work and maintain her ability to support herself and her career.  This dynamic works to entrap the victim, and prolong the relationship (Heim 2018).

Some of the primary cognitive distortions in women in IPV are self-blame, reduced projection of responsibility to the aggressor, minimization of perceived violence or damage, normalization, denial, loss of self, a misperceived sense of control, hope for change, savior beliefs (“I can help the aggressor become a better person”), and denial of other options besides the aggressor’s environment (Sastre 2025).

When it comes to understanding liability (or fault), an effective lawyer must attend to the entire complexity of CIPV.  This is because the obstacles to healing after Interpersonal Violence are so significant, which has been likened to “intimate terrorism” and “coercive control”(WHO 2022; Stark 2009).

Obstacles to Healing

In a provocative article by Bryngeirsdottir and Halldorsdottir (2022), the authors provide no fewer than 14 main obstacles on the journey to Post-Traumatic Growth after IPV, each of which sheds important light on Career-Based IPV.  These obstacles include: feelings of shame, suicidal thoughts, broken self-identity, insecurity, isolation, triggering, mixed negative self-feelings, loss of emotional connection, physical and psychological compromise, financial trouble and social fears (such as being the subject of victim-blaming), continuing harassment and abuse from the aggressor, community fallout (loss of common friends, colleagues and support or opportunity), and difficulties with social institutions.  For these authors, the overriding theme of survivors after the trauma of IPV was, “It was all so confusing.”

A Few Psychological Impacts of Career-Based IPV

Research has consistently demonstrated that ongoing harassment and coercive control in CIPV relationships can cause a cascade of physical and psychological health problems in trauma survivors. There a strong connection between revictimization and increased rates of chronic pain, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and even the potential for aging-process acceleration (Sastre et al 2025; Dworkin et al 2023; Coimbra et al 2020). Many of these findings are also detailed in the Fact Sheet of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health, which indicates association between IPV and the severity, complexity and duration of a survivor’s mental and physical health struggles (2014).  Further, researchers found that survivors of repeated abuse were more likely to develop complex PTSD, a condition characterized by severe difficulties in emotional regulation, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships (Fernandez-Fillol et al 2021; Brewin et al 2017).

Repeated trauma can result in neurobiological impact, resulting in changes in brain structure and function that can disrupt emotional regulation, cognitive processing, and the body’s stress response (Vaidya et al 2024). Specifically, neuroimaging techniques like fMRI have shown that chronic exposure to trauma may lead to reduced gray matter volume in brain regions associated with emotional processing, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, potentially impairing the survivor’s ability to process and regulate emotions effectively.

The Journey to Post-Traumatic Growth After CIPV

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is described as positive psychological changes that can emerge after a struggle with severe trauma (Bryngeirsdottir and Halldorsdottir 2022).  But this process is rarely straightforward, especially due to revictimization and the extended exposures to sexual advances that are common in CIPV cases (Munoz-Rivas et al 2024).  Severity of trauma, availability of social support, and ongoing stressors (among other factors) can significantly impact a survivor’s journey.

Research has shown that social support networks and PTG can ameliorate the negative effects of trauma and facilitate the healing process, even if the journey is long and difficult (Bryngeirsdottir and Halldorsdottir 2022).  Survivors who forced to interact with their abusers, even in their later work life, or who have lost career opportunities, social networks, and supportive environments will undoubtedly face significant challenges in processing their trauma and finding meaning.

Functional Outcomes

At The Law Office of Scott R. Herndon, it is clear that our client-survivors of CIPV have enjoyed better functional outcomes after working with therapists specializing in trauma-informed care, support groups that foster a sense of community, and resources that have empowered reengagement with their careers, dreams, and lives.  We are dedicated to advocating for your rights, seeking justice on your behalf, and empowering you to reclaim your life.

Keywords: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), Revictimization, Gaslighting, Cognitive Distortion, Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), Trauma, Attorney, Lawyer, Legal Representation, Healing, Justice, Workplace Harassment, IPV Attorney, Sexual Abuse Lawyer.

Meta Description: The Law Office of Scott R. Herndon provides comprehensive legal representation for survivors of sexual assault and harassment, especially in complex situations like IPV and workplace harassment. We understand the lasting impact of trauma and are dedicated to helping you reclaim your life. Contact us today.