when the court becomes the abuser

What happens when the very system designed to protect survivors becomes a new source of harm? This piece explores how the family court system can mirror the cycle of abuse—re-traumatizing survivors of domestic violence, punishing protective parents, and prioritizing procedure over safety. Through the story of one mother’s fight to protect her daughter, the article illustrates how legal systems, when blind to the dynamics of coercive control, can become tools of continued abuse.

A must-read for therapists, advocates, and anyone working at the intersection of trauma and justice.