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 205: Children as Collateral Damage in Family Court | The Hidden Impact of Post-Separation Abuse
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We don’t talk enough about the real collateral damage of broken systems.
And it’s not just survivors.
It’s our kids.
In this episode, I’m naming something that so many of you are living through but rarely see acknowledged out loud — the ways children are impacted when systems like family court, child protection, and even therapeutic settings fail to fully understand coercive control and domestic violence.
Because this isn’t just about what happened in the relationship.
It’s about what continues to happen after separation… when you’re doing everything “right,” and your child is still paying the price.
We’re talking about the full spectrum of collateral damage — from the quieter, everyday barriers (like not being able to access therapy due to joint decision-making) to the more extreme and devastating outcomes that can occur when abuse is minimized, misunderstood, or ignored.
This episode is honest. It’s heavy.
And it also holds space for hope — because that matters too.
In this episode, we cover:
- How coercive control and post-separation abuse continue to impact kids
- Why joint decision-making can block access to critical care
- How children learn to stay silent in medical, legal, and therapeutic settings
- The impact of misinformed professionals (including in therapy and court)
- How fear, threats, and “provoke and record” dynamics affect children
- The misuse of terms like “parental alienation” and its consequences
- What happens when abuse (including sexual abuse) is not believed or substantiated
- The emotional and psychological toll on protective parents and children
Peer-Reviewed Articles
https://www.law.georgetown.edu/georgetown-law-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2022/06/Meier_Denial-of-Family-Violence-in-Court.pdf
https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2809&context=faculty_publications
https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1857&context=faculty_publications
https://barrygoldstein.net/component/tags/tag/the-saunders-study
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