ABOUT

My journey began after my eight-year marriage ended unexpectedly, leaving me a single mother to my five-year daughter.

Throughout my career, I've focused on optimizing outcomes for children, whether it be helping preschoolers with developmental delays or those from challenging home environments. Now, my attention has turned to the effects of divorce on children.

As I delved into research, I became increasingly fascinated by the dynamics of high-conflict divorce and the coercive parenting often linked to it, as well as the serious long-term consequences for these children, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, risky behaviors, mental and physical health issues, and even suicide. The findings revealed a troubling trajectory for children facing coercive parenting, leading to relational and developmental trauma and bleak outcomes.

Protective parents face additional challenges due to a significant lack of resources to support these children and a general lack of awareness within family law systems of the effects of high-conflict divorce and coercive parenting.

This prompted me to combine my educational, professional, and lived experiences to create a model aimed at reducing the negative impacts of coercive parenting on children—one that not only heals their trauma but also fosters resilience against future challenges. I am dedicated to educating professionals tasked with protecting these children and empowering parents to adopt parenting strategies that prioritize children’s welfare, regardless of systemic shortcomings.

Join me in striving for a future where children can THRIVE, growing into emotionally and psychologically healthy individuals who can achieve their full potential, free from the burdens of coercive parenting.