The MEND Project founder Annette Oltmans spotlights emotional abuse recovery

Annette Oltmans, founder of The MEND Project, was featured on Close Up Radio on Sept. 15 to discuss covert emotional abuse, survivor recovery and trauma-informed support. Her nonprofit offers tools, training and courses for survivors and professionals navigating hidden forms of abuse.

Why it matters: - The MEND Project targets emotional abuse that is often hard to identify, which can leave survivors confused, isolated and unable to act. - The nonprofit also trains responders and clinicians, which can affect how survivors are believed, supported and guided toward next steps. - The work reaches beyond private relationships and into bullying, harassment, workplace sabotage and child sexual abuse, where hidden manipulation can shape outcomes.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured Annette Oltmans, founder of The MEND Project, in an interview with Jim Masters on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. Eastern. - Oltmans used the appearance to raise awareness of emotional abuse and the help available for survivors and responders. - The interview also highlighted The MEND Project as a resource for people seeking education, healing and trauma-informed training.

The details: - Oltmans founded The MEND Project after reading books and scholarly studies that showed how limited resources were for people experiencing emotional abuse. - She spent a year interviewing hundreds of survivors of covert emotional abuse and manipulation. - Hidden abuse can include blame-shifting, gaslighting, false accusations and minimization. - Oltmans then spent four years beta-testing language in community training sessions with survivors, domestic violence advocates, first responders, clinicians and religious and secular organizations. - The MEND Project offers a website with tools and resources, a YouTube channel with free webinars, and online self-paced courses. - The clinician course is sanctioned by The American Psychological Association for continuing education hours. - The organization teaches that clarity is the first necessary step to healing and that survivors need language to describe what is happening to them. - The MEND Project also teaches on “Double Abuse,” which it describes as the added harm that occurs when survivors are not believed or supported. - Oltmans said physical wounds eventually heal, but emotional wounds last. - The MEND Project is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on educating, equipping and restoring people impacted by emotional abuse and training those who work with them. - The organization’s YouTube channel includes videos on topics such as how to be the parent your child needs now, trauma bonds, complex PTSD and about 70 additional webinars. - More information is available at the organization’s website, and the YouTube channel is here. - The podcast episode is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify.

Between the lines: - The MEND Project’s message is that abuse is not always visible, and the lack of bruises can make manipulation harder to recognize and report. - By centering language, education and trauma-informed response, the organization aims to reduce the confusion that keeps survivors stuck. - The focus on institutional and spiritual abuse suggests the group sees emotional harm as a systems issue, not only a personal one.

What's next: - Oltmans is using the radio feature to expand awareness among survivors and the professionals who meet them first. - The MEND Project is expected to keep building training, webinars and courses for both survivors and helpers. - The organization wants more people to understand how emotional abuse works before they are forced to make life-changing decisions under stress.