Join us on Wednesday, April 22nd as the AVA Webinar Series presents Shame-To-Guilt and Stalking: Exploring Two Forms of Intimate Partner Violence among Sexual and Gender Minorities and Women Living Rurally, featuring Stefan Kurbatfinski from the University of Calgary.
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026
12 – 1:30pm MST
Intimate partner abusers often use shaming tactics to guilt their partner(s), a dynamic this team terms “shame-to-guilt”. Abused individuals who are made to feel ashamed or guilty may be less likely to disclose their experiences of violence, leave the abusive relationship, or prioritize their personal health, thereby sustaining the abusive bond. On the other hand, stalking, which is related to some degree of surveillance and monitoring, is a form of proximity-seeking intimate partner violence (IPV) that is equally detrimental to one’s quality of life and allows the abusive partner to maintain connection to their partner(s). Both shame-to-guilt and stalking are subtle yet harmful forms of IPV that warrant closer attention. For sexual and gender minorities and women living rurally, groups that face unique vulnerabilities such as homophobia and geographic isolation, respectively, shame-to-guilt and stalking can manifest uniquely. This webinar will (1) examine how these forms of IPV can manifest in these groups through the voices of those with lived experiences and relevant service providers and (2) offer practical strategies to improve support and service delivery.
About the Speaker
Stefan Kurbatfinski, BSc, is a 4th year Doctoral Student in the Department of Community Health Sciences Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is committed to conducting research that targets and identifies health disparities among families experiencing vulnerabilities, with emphasis among sexual and gender minority groups. Mr. Kurbatfinski has a planned post-doctoral position at the University of Toronto in which he hopes to further investigate longitudinal parent-child development among sexual and gender minority parents and their children.