The Rising Beyond Podcast
Are you ready to thrive as you are coming out of a toxic or abusive relationship? Join Sybil Cummin, a licensed professional counselor who has specialized in working with victims and survivors of domestic violence and narcissistic abuse for over a decade and runs a membership community for women on their healing journey. On this podcast you will finally feel understood and your experience will be validated as you learn tangible strategies to handle family court, coparent with your abuser, improve your connection with your children, and heal from the trauma of narcissistic abuse and domestic violence.
The Rising Beyond Podcast
Ep 170: Why Custody Decisions Need a Pattern-Based Approach When There has Been Coercive Control
When it comes to domestic violence and coercive control, the systems we rely on to protect children are often looking at the wrong thing.
Instead of assessing for patterns like, long-term, consistent dynamics of fear, control, and power imbalances, many custody decisions are still made based on isolated incidents. And that’s a huge problem.
In this solo episode, I’m sharing why we need a major shift in how we assess safety, parenting, attachment, and the best interests of the child, and how a pattern-based approach can more accurately reflect the lived experience of survivors and their children.
We’ll talk about:
- Why coercive control often doesn’t show up in isolated “incidents”
- How this outdated model fails kids in custody evaluations
- Why it can take months or even a year for a child to feel safe enough to reveal the full picture in therapy
- The dangers of assuming we can determine a child’s best interest after two brief sessions with an evaluator
Whether you're a survivor navigating the family court system or a professional working in this space, this episode offers clarity and validation, and a call to do better by the families most impacted.
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