Verbal Harassment

Living with or loving someone who struggles with alcohol use disorder is challenging enough. When verbal abuse enters the picture, it can feel like you’re walking through a minefield every single day. Here’s the thing nobody tells you: you didn’t cause this, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it. But you can learn […]

Cop this: You’re sitting at the dinner table, and suddenly you’re copping an earful about everything you’ve done wrong since primary school. The words sting. Your chest tightens. And the worst part? It’s not the first time. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Verbal abuse from parents is more common than many people realise, […]

Quick Answer How to deal with verbal abuse from a partner: recognise the pattern for what it is, stop engaging with the insults, tell people you trust, make a safety plan and keep a private record if it is safe to do so. Verbal abuse is a form of emotional abuse, and in Australia it […]

Quick Answer To deal with verbal abuse from an adult child, decide which behaviour you will no longer accept, tell them calmly and clearly, and follow through every time, for example by ending the call or leaving the room. Look after your own wellbeing and get support early from services such as Relationships Australia, 1800ELDERHelp […]

Nobody wakes up expecting to cop an earful from a stranger, yet it happens more often than we’d like to admit. Whether it’s road rage on the M1, an angry shopper at Woollies, or someone having a proper meltdown on public transport, verbal abuse from strangers can leave you shaken, angry, or questioning what just […]

Quick Answer Knowing how to deal with verbal abuse in the workplace starts with a record. Write down every incident, check you are safe, and if it feels safe, tell the person calmly that the behaviour has to stop. Then report it to your manager, HR or a health and safety representative. If it continues, […]

Quick Answer Verbal abuse in the workplace is a repeated pattern of using words to belittle, threaten, control or humiliate someone at work. Common examples of verbal abuse at work are yelling and swearing, insults and name-calling, constant targeted criticism, threats, sarcasm disguised as jokes, gaslighting and malicious gossip. It can come from a manager, […]

Quick Answer What is verbal harassment in the workplace? Verbal harassment is spoken or written language at work that intimidates, demeans, humiliates or threatens someone, such as yelling, insults, slurs, offensive or sexual comments and threats. In Australia it can be workplace bullying under the Fair Work Act when it is repeated and unreasonable, unlawful […]