In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families, host Morgan Ellsworth explains why being witnessed is so imperative to healing. Not only does community help with emotional regulation, but being surrounded by those who can empathize with your experience interrupts the isolation trauma causes. Betrayal trauma impacts a person emotionally and physiologically, and being witnessed and seen in pain begins the healing journey for each individual.

Drawing from trauma-informed family systems care, Morgan explains how betrayal trauma disrupts brain functioning, narrows the window of tolerance, and activates fight, flight, or freeze responses. This episode emphasizes that healing requires more than insight alone—it requires repeated, embodied experiences of safety. Healing Betrayed Families is designed to support betrayed partners, parents, children, and professionals seeking language, understanding, and a compassionate path forward after relational rupture.

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

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About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

What happens when a child no longer has to convince their parent that their pain was real?

In this episode of Choosing Different Mini Series, Morgan sits down with her mom, Hali Roderick, for a short, unscripted conversation about one of the most healing things a parent can offer: belief. They talk about the three quiet ways parents unintentionally dismiss a child's experience — through differing memories, good intentions, and simple unawareness — and why none of those things make a child's pain any less real.

Mentioned in this episode: 

If you're ready for a deeper connection with your mother or daughter, learn more about my upcoming retreat - Becoming Together: A Mother Daughter Retreat - hosted by myself, my mom, and my sister in Sedona, Arizona on September 8 - 12th.

Join us: FREE Parenting Through the Wreckage Webinar on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 5pm Pacific

Get support for your children:  Witnessed Group Coaching program 

Connect with Hali Roderick: 

Join me on social media for continued conversation, encouragement, and resources between podcast episodes.

👉 Instagram:⁠ ⁠@rootedandrising.healing⁠⁠

👉 Facebook:⁠ ⁠Rooted and Rising Healing with Hali Roderick⁠⁠

👉 Website:⁠⁠ ⁠rootedandrisinghealing.com⁠

If you are a betrayed partner, I also host a podcast called Rooted & Rising Healing After Betrayal, created specifically for women healing from betrayal trauma.

This show offers grounded, trauma-informed conversations, solo reflections, and tools to help you reconnect with yourself, reclaim your voice, and rise with clarity and strength.

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

Listen to Hali’s Podcast

In this powerful conversation, Morgan sits down with Dr. Debi Silber, founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute, to explore why betrayal trauma is fundamentally different from other forms of trauma and why it requires a specialized, informed approach to healing.

Drawing from research she conducted during her PhD program, Dr. Silber shares her groundbreaking discoveries, including the five predictable stages of betrayal recovery. She explains why time alone does not heal betrayal, how many clients become unintentionally stuck in survival mode, and how well-meaning but untrained practitioners can inadvertently cause harm when betrayal is misunderstood.

This episode is essential listening for clinicians, coaches, and anyone impacted by betrayal who wants language, clarity, and a path forward that leads not just to stabilization but to true post-traumatic growth.

Dr Debi Silber, PhD Transpersonal Psychology

Dr. Debi Silber, Founder and CEO of The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute and National Forgiveness Day, is an award-winning speaker and 2-time #1 International bestselling author. Her podcast, From Betrayal to Breakthrough, ranks in the top 1.5% globally. Her groundbreaking PhD study revealed 3 discoveries that completely revolutionized our understanding of betrayal—and how to achieve full healing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Creator of the world's #1 betrayal recovery certification for life, business, health, and leadership coaches, Dr. Debi equips practitioners globally with her evidence-based framework so they can deliver exponentially better results with their existing clients. Featured on FOX, CBS, The Dr. Oz Show, and TEDx (twice), she equips practitioners with the missing framework-helping them move from uncertainty to confidence, from using general tools that keep clients stuck to specialized approaches that create genuine transformation.

Connect with Dr. Debi: 

Website 

The latest TEDx: “Do You Have Post Betrayal Syndrome?“

TEDx: Stop Sabotaging Yourself

The From Betrayal to Breakthrough podcast

Morning Minutes with Dr. Debi podcast

TikTok

Facebook 

Linkedin

Instagram

Youtube

Read her newest book

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Register for “Witnessed” coaching groups for teens and adult children 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In this bonus episode of the Choosing Different mini-series, Morgan sits down with her mom and sister Mataia for an honest, unscripted conversation about how their relationship has evolved from Morgan's teenage years into adulthood. They talk through:

• How trust and closeness shift once kids become adults — and why "too cool for you" eventually turns into missing your mom

• Navigating marriage and relationship challenges as an adult child, and the boundaries that make it safe to share

• Leading with curiosity instead of criticism when a child brings something hard to you

• Why healthy repair after rupture matters more than never having conflict at all

• Letting your kids make their own choices (even the ones you're scared of) — and trusting them to walk their own path

• Redefining identity and purpose as a parent once the kids are grown and gone

This is a raw, real look at what it takes to keep choosing connection and repair as a family — even after everything's already been said and done wrong once.

Announcements in this episode:

• 🌿 Witnessed — a new educational & support group for teens (14–17) and adult children (18+) of betrayed families, launching in August.

• 🌵 Becoming Together Mother-Daughter Retreat — September, Sedona, AZ. A space for breathwork, sound healing, nature, and intentional connection.

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Register for “Witnessed” coaching groups for teens and adult children 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In this episode, Morgan sits down with Coach Katherine, a betrayal trauma coach, to explore the profound and often overlooked impact of betrayal on children. Katherine shares her deeply personal story of navigating parenting after her own intimate partner betrayal. She reflects on how each of her children responded differently to the trauma and how, in her own survival mode, she lacked the emotional capacity she wishes she could have given them at the time.

Together, they highlight how children often carry silent burdens, sometimes directing anger toward the betrayed parent, and how many feel unseen or forgotten during the crisis.

The conversation ultimately centers on healing, accountability, and hope. Katherine emphasizes the importance of self-forgiveness for betrayed parents and the possibility of repairing relationships over time through intentionality and presence. This episode offers validation for both parents and children, reminding listeners that while betrayal impacts the entire family, healing and reconnection are still possible.

About Coach Katherine

Certified Professional Life Coach through the American Association of Christian Counselors. 

Many women silently carry deep trauma after discovering their husband’s pornography use or sexual addiction, often with little understanding or support. I know this journey personally. After 34 years of marriage, my own relationship ended in divorce following years of betrayal connected to sexual addiction. Along the way, I also witnessed the pain it brought into the lives of my children, which deepened my understanding of how profoundly these struggles can affect an entire family.

Today, drawing on both my own personal journey, professional training, and experience, I provide a safe, compassionate space for women to share their stories, process their pain, and begin healing. Together we work through the trauma, apply practical tools for restoration, and move toward renewed strength, faith, and a life marked by clarity and joy.

I am also the grateful mother of four amazing adult children and grandmother to six wonderful grandchildren.

Check out Katherine’s Website

Read her bio

Email Katherine

 Check out Katherine’s free ebook

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Register for “Witnessed” coaching groups for teens and adult children 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In the final episode of the family disclosure series, we dig into the actual content of a disclosure conversation, what to say, what to leave out, and how to support kids before, during, and after. Parents often land on one of two extremes: sharing too much graphic detail (which can put kids in an inappropriate emotional caretaker role) or sharing too little (leaving kids doubting their own perception of what's happening at home). Instead, disclosure should rest on three pillars: naming what the child has already witnessed, real accountability from the parents involved, and concrete, actionable next steps rather than vague promises.

We also revisit the series' core idea of witnessing as a "dance." The goal isn't just informing kids of adult failures, but helping them feel truly seen in their confusion and pain, and inviting them into their own healing process. A 24-hour loop-back conversation is presented as essential, not optional, since that's often where real repair begins.

Finally, the episode covers how to help a dysregulated child return to baseline, and why parents' own self-care and nervous system regulation matter just as much as what they say to their kids. This wraps the three-part family disclosure series, with more episodes on the topic possible down the road.

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Register for “Witnessed” coaching groups for teens and adult children 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In this follow-up to our episode on why families choose disclosure, we're diving into the how. Morgan walks through what it takes to prepare for a family disclosure conversation, from getting clear on what to share, to doing the emotional groundwork parents need before they can hold space for their kids' reactions. A recurring theme: disclosure isn't safe unless the parent can stay regulated through shame, discomfort, and their child's emotional response.

The heart of the episode breaks down age-appropriate approaches across four developmental stages, young children (3-7), elementary/preteen (8-12), teenagers (13-17), and adult children (18+), with guidance on what to share, what to protect kids from, and how to avoid turning children into emotional caretakers for their parents. Morgan also touches on why teens especially tend to already sense more than parents realize, even without the specifics.

The episode closes with guidance on what comes after the conversation: making space for ongoing questions, treating disclosure as a process rather than a single event, and connecting kids with professional support to help them process what they've heard. Morgan mentions her companion resource, Moving Children from Confusion to Clarity: Age-Appropriate Disclosure Language in Betrayal Trauma, as well as her upcoming Witnessed support groups for teens and adult children navigating family disclosure or discovery.

Disclaimer: This episode offers general education, not therapeutic or coaching advice specific to your family. Please consult a qualified professional to apply these concepts to your situation.

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Register for “Witnessed” coaching groups for teens and adult children 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In this first episode of a multi-part series on family disclosure, Morgan Ellsworth explores why so many parents fear telling their children the truth about betrayal in the family, and offers a reframe: disclosure isn't the wound, secrecy is. Drawing on the concept of the "witnessing grid," Morgan illustrates the different positions family members can occupy — aware/unaware, empowered/disempowered — and how children often end up in the "black box": aware that something is wrong, but without the language, information, or power to process it. She introduces the idea of "ethical loneliness," the isolating experience of carrying a truth no one will confirm, and explains how thoughtful disclosure helps close the gap between a child's internal sense that something is wrong and a family's insistence that everything is fine.

Also in this episode: enrollment details for the Witnessed educational and support groups for teens and adult children of betrayed families (launching in August, early bird pricing through July 20th), and an invitation to the Becoming Together Mother-Daughter Retreat in Sedona, AZ, September 8–12.

Witnessing Grid (Weingarten, 2000).

Access the Weingarten article

Witnessed group information

Email Morgan for details on registration for the Witnessed groups.

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

In this heartfelt conversation, Morgan welcomes Cat Etherington, Director of Recovery at The Naked Truth Project — a UK-based nonprofit working to free lives from the damaging impacts of pornography and problematic sexual behavior. Cat shares openly about her own journey through substance addiction, early motherhood, and the betrayal trauma she later navigated in sobriety. With nearly two decades of recovery behind her, Cat offers a rare and powerful perspective on what it looks like to parent through chaos, rebuild trust with your children, and break generational cycles — not perfectly, but persistently.

Together, Morgan and Cat explore the profound impact addiction and betrayal have on the whole family system, and what it really takes to create safety for your kids — not just as an idea, but as a lived experience. Cat speaks candidly about parenting from shame, learning to regulate herself before she could attune to her children, and the hard-won lesson that repair matters more than perfection. She also introduces the concept of "60% good enough parenting" as a grounding reminder that you don't have to have it all together to be enough for your kids.

If you are a parent in the thick of trauma or early recovery and wondering how you can possibly show up for your children while you're barely keeping your head above water, this episode is for you. Cat's message is both honest and deeply hopeful: it's a marathon, not a sprint, and there is nothing you can't go back and apologize for. Connect with Cat and The Naked Truth Project at nakedtruthproject.com.

About Cat Etherington

Cat Etherington is the Director of Recovery for Naked Truth Project, she lives in Durham in the North East of England and is married with two daughters. Cat is a certified professional life coach and integrative counselling practitioner, working with individuals and couples impacted by problematic sexual behaviour and betrayal. Cat was the first ever European practitioner to be certified by the Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists (APSATS) and now serves on their Board of Directors. With personal experience of both addiction and betrayal, Cat has unique insight into the journey of recovery and healing.

Connect with Cat 

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Join us for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.

Morgan is joined by Ellia Marcum, certified coach and founder of Mood Well Coaching, for a powerful conversation about what teens need most after family betrayal.

Ellia brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this discussion, sharing how betrayal impacts teens emotionally, behaviorally, and relationally, and how parents can support their children without forcing conversations, minimizing pain, or losing necessary boundaries.

Together, they explore the importance of emotional safety, consistency, validation, and witnessing a teen’s experience, as well as signs that a teen may be struggling even when they aren’t talking. The conversation also highlights common parenting missteps after betrayal, when to bring in outside support, and small, doable ways parents can rebuild trust and connection with their teens.

This episode offers reassurance, practical guidance, and hope for parents navigating betrayal while trying to show up well for their children.

About Ellia Marcum:

Ellia Marcum is a certified coach and founder of Mood|Well Coaching, where she helps teens transform emotional pain into personal growth and resilience. She is also the creator of Turning To Peace Magazine (ttpmagazine.org), a faith-based resource supporting partners healing from betrayal trauma. Through her coaching and writing, Ellia guides parents and individuals in cultivating presence, emotional regulation, and purposeful living after life’s most difficult experiences. 

Learn more at www.moodwellcoaching.com and www.ttpmagazine.org

Discount code for the magazine HEALING10

Free resource: How to talk to your children about family infidelity

Complete the interest list for the Becoming Together: Mother-Daughter Retreat

About the Host

Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) and Board Certified Coach (BCC) with advanced training in trauma-informed care. She is certified through APSATS as a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Associate (CCPS-A) and Certified Partner Coach (CPC) and works with individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma.

Connect with Morgan @Healing.betrayed.families on Instagram or email her directly at [email protected]

Visit Morgan’s coaching website

For those looking for therapeutic support in Arizona, connect with Morgan at her private practice, Ellsworth Family Therapy

Thank you for listening to Healing Betrayed Families.