This is your go-to Podcast, where we help parents navigate the complexities of family life. Hosted by Ali Kessler of Greyson’s Choice, we’ll cover everything from understanding domestic violence to navigating the legal system, finding the right therapists, life hacks, family law, mental health, custody battles, and how to protect children in dangerous situations.
The Hidden Epidemic of Coercive Control in Family Courts:
Get an inside look into the new must-read book, “FRAMED.” Host Ali Kessler welcomes Dr. Christine Cocchiola, an expert on coercive control, and Amy Polacko, founder and CEO of Freedom Warrior Divorce Coaching, to discuss their new book 'Framed'. The guests share their experiences and insights on the dangers of coercive control in abusive relationships and the family court system. They highlight the need for better legislation and judicial training to protect children and supportive parents from abusive dynamics. The conversation also touches on various forms of abuse, including financial and emotional abuse, and emphasizes the importance of awareness and systemic change.
Get her new book, “FRAMED” at: www.narcfreepress.com
Barnes & Noble: https://lnkd.in/dmTjiHhY?
Amazon: https://lnkd.in/dydtjtiA
About Dr. Christine Cocchiola:
Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW, is a Coercive Control Educator, Researcher, and survivor. She has been a tenured college professor teaching social work for the last twenty years and has been a social justice advocate since the age of 19, volunteering for a local domestic violence/sexual assault agency.
She supports protective parents in strategizing how best to navigate the family court system, including divorce proceedings and custody arrangements. Our family court system is often set up to harm further and betray adult victims-survivors and their children, unacknowledged child abuse victims.
Most importantly, Dr. Cocchiola is a protective parent. Through her own clinical expertise, research, and personal experiences, she understands the impact that coercive control has on children. She coaches victims and survivors as they navigate parenting their harmed children. She has created programming to educate Allies, including protective parents, clinicians, coaches, and court professionals, on the experiences of children victims of the coercive controller.
Dr. Cocchiola is a Founding Member of the International Coercive Control Conference and a National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board Member. She has actively supported codifying coercive control, writing numerous policy briefs supporting these efforts.
Contact: https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/
Instagram: @dr.cocchiola_coercivecontrol
About Amy Polacko:
Amy Polacko is a Freedom Warrior committed to helping women live on their own terms during/after a toxic relationship or divorce. As a divorced single mom, she is passionate about coaching women one-on-one and founded the empowerment group Strong Savvy Women to support, inspire, and guide single women. Amy is an award-winning journalist who sheds light on women's issues, including divorce, domestic abuse, coercive control, and singlehood. She also works as a public relations consultant for small to medium-sized companies, helping to create PR strategies, maximize branding, leverage media relations, and improve social media.
Her recent journalistic work has appeared in The Washington Post, HuffPost, Ms. Magazine, Newsweek, NBC News THINK, and Observer. After graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Amy was a newspaper reporter for Newsday and was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team covering the TWA Flight 800 crash. She then transitioned to television journalism as a writer and producer in New York City. Amy was an award-winning on-air reporter in Fargo, ND, where she traveled to Kosovo for a series on the North Dakota National Guard, and in Philadelphia, where she covered the national D.C. Sniper story. She also headed up an investigative reporting unit in Albany, NY, where she uncovered consumer scams, crime, and government corruption as part of her I-Team Investigations -- one of which exposed a loophole in the state's sex offender registry.
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About Ali Kessler
Ali Kessler is a writer, marketing professional, passionate parent advocate, and founder of Greyson’s Choice, a 501(c)(3) created to raise awareness about the risk of domestic abuse on children. Greyson’s Choice was founded by Ali Kessler in memory of her sweet, vibrant, and fearless 4.5-year-old son, Greyson, who was murdered by his biological father in a murder-suicide during an unsupervised, court-approved visit in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in 2021. This came just hours after her petition for a domestic violence injunction was denied by a Broward County judge, citing that the “petitioner has failed to allege any overt acts by the respondent which would constitute domestic violence under Florida Statute.”
Ali’s advocacy efforts culminated in successfully passing Greyson’s Law during the 2023 legislative session. This bill now requires the court to consider threats against ex-partners or spouses when making child visitation and custody determinations in the court, expanding to include the following factors: evidence of domestic violence, whether a parent in the past or currently has reasonable cause to believe that they or a minor child is, or has been in imminent danger of becoming the victim of domestic/sexual violence by the other parent, even if no other legal action has been brought or is currently pending in court.
Contact Ali:
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