The Rising Beyond Podcast
If you're trying to protect your children while navigating an abusive ex, this podcast is for you. Because leaving the relationship didn't end the abuse, and no one prepared you for what came next.
The Rising Beyond Podcast is for protective mothers navigating the overwhelming reality of sharing children with someone who continues patterns of manipulation, coercive control, or emotional abuse after separation. Join Sybil Cummin, licensed professional counselor, who has spent the last decade helping survivors and their children navigate this incredibly difficult chapter. Every week, we share trauma-informed education, nervous system insights, protective parenting strategies, and honest conversations about family court, post-separation abuse, and healing, so you can feel more confident, more grounded, and better equipped to protect both your children and yourself.
Whether you're in the middle of family court, struggling with parenting alongside someone who continues patterns of control, or simply trying to become the parent you want to be after everything you've survived, you'll find validation, practical guidance, and hope here.
The Rising Beyond Podcast
Ep 155: When the Test Gets It Wrong: Why Psych Assessments Can Hurt Survivors in Family Court
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
If you’ve ever been told that a psychological test “proved” you were unstable or overeactive in your custody case—while your abusive ex seemed cool, calm, and collected—you are not alone.
In this short but important episode, I’m unpacking why the MMPI and MMPI-2—often used in court-ordered evaluations—can misrepresent survivors of coercive control and domestic violence. These tests were not designed with trauma survivors in mind, and their results can be dangerously misinterpreted when evaluators aren’t trained in coercive dynamics.
I’ll also explain how abusers, especially narcissists, often “pass” these tests easily by presenting as emotionally flat or in control—while the survivor appears anxious, reactive, or paranoid, all of which are normal trauma responses.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating family court, custody evaluations, or preparing for a psychological assessment after surviving abuse.
Register for the Free Webinar Series - Why Co-Parenting Feels Like a Trap here - https://mailchi.mp/risingbeyondpc/coparenting
Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.
If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc
If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.
If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/
Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest
If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7
Enjoy some of our freebies!