Cathy Press to speak at the ICCC 2026: International Coercive Control Conference in New York
We are proud to announce that Cathy Press, founder and director of Awareness Matters, has been invited to speak at the 2026 International Coercive Control Conference (ICCC), taking place in New York City, April 10th-12th 2026.
This global conference brings together leaders in domestic abuse prevention, coercive control advocacy, and survivor-centred care. The ICCC’s focus is on addressing coercive control- a pattern of acts of threat, humiliation and intimidation used to frighten and punish the victim. The ICCC envisions a society where women and children are free from violence, exploitation, and oppression, and have autonomy to thrive.
Cathy will be featured in Session 5: ‘Healing Pathways: Trauma-Informed Approaches to Recovery and Reintegration’ to talk about The VOICE Programme and how it supports victims to heal from trauma. She will be speaking alongside Saira Khan, who will be discussing facilitating growth and recovery after coercive control, and Christine Cocchiola, a Founding Member of the International Coercive Control Conference and a Board Member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The session will include their 3 presentations and a Q&A.
“I am delighted to be presenting at the International Conference for Coercive Control”, said Cathy. “I cannot wait to share the amazing impact of the VOICE Programme for those victims and survivors of coercive control and domestic abuse.”
The ICCC’s mission is “to end coercive control as a form of violence against women and children by creating opportunities for collective education and awareness-building, and advocacy for positive and significant societal change and accountability”.
Former speakers at the ICCC include: Nazir Afzal OBE, former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North-West England and current National Advisor on Gender Based Violence for the Welsh Government; Dorothy Roberts, American sociologist, author and Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Founding Director of the Penn Program on Race, Science and Society; and Shawnee Benton-Gibson, CEO of Spirit Of A Woman Leadership Development Institute and Co-Founder of the ARIAH Foundation.
The International Coercive Control Confrence is being held in New York in April 2026
We are proud to see Cathy representing the VOICE Programme in this international forum among other such powerful and inspiring activists, and look forward to the insights she’ll bring back from others to strengthen our work even further.
Sessions for the International Coercive Control Conference 2026 will take place in person at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York April 10th-12th.
Awareness Matters is a training organisation offering trauma-informed programmes, trainings, and workshops on abuse-related issues, including intimate partner violence, teenage relationship abuse, and child to parent violence. Interested in hearing more about our work? Click to see our trainings below or continue to explore the website!