In this episode, Kim Honeycutt welcomes Amy Polacko and returning guest Dr. Christine Cocchiola, co-authors of FRAMED: Women in the Family Court Underworld. Amy and Dr. Cocchiola bring their combined expertise to shed light on the complex and often hidden struggles within the family court system. Together, they explore the profound impact of these systemic issues on individuals and communities, emphasizing the importance of resilience, healing, and advocacy. This episode delves into the interconnectedness of trauma, systemic injustice, and the vital role of support systems and grassroots movements in driving meaningful change.

What They Discuss:

• Amy Polacco's journey from TV reporter to domestic abuse advocate.
• Dr. Christine Cocchiola on trauma and systemic failures.
• Exposing injustices women face in family courts.
• Importance of protecting children in abusive situations.
• Power of community support and grassroots movements.

About:

Dr. Christine M. Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW

Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW, has been a social justice advocate since the age of 19 as a domestic abuse/sexual assault crisis counselor and a child welfare advocate. She served as a Board Member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and has actively supported codifying coercive control as the foundation of domestic abuse, writing policy briefs supporting these efforts and providing expert testimony at legislative hearings. Most importantly, through her own experiences as a protective parent, and her clinical expertise as a trauma-trained therapist, researcher, and educator, Dr. Cocchiola understands the impact that coercive control has on both adult and child victims. A college professor teaching social work for over 20 years, she is the creator of The Protective Parenting Program, a program to support protective parents navigating parenting children harmed by a coercive controller. Her other educational programming supports creating a greater awareness for attorneys, mental health clinicians, divorce coaches, and other allies to understand the often insidious nuanced nature of coercive control.

Amy Polacko

Amy Polacko is an award-winning journalist, investigative reporter, and divorce coach who survived a narcissist nightmare. After her own experience, she formed Freedom Warrior Coaching to become the guide she wished she had. Amy earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism and was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting team covering the TWA Flight 800 crash for Newsday. She has coached hundreds of women going through divorce, runs a support group, and writes for national news outlets about coercive control, domestic abuse, divorce, online dating, and singlehood. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Ms. Magazine, The Washington Post, Newsweek, NBC News, The Independent, and Observer. Amy helps women take their power back before, during, and after divorce. She created a digital course “Divorce Decoded” to educate divorcing women about the process, warnings about family court, how to divorce a narcissist, and tips for avoiding devastating mistakes.

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