Legal Team Trainings
Give your legal team the knowledge & tools to support your clients through a more holistic approach.
With 50% of first marriages, and 70% of second and third marriages ending in divorce it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that behind every divorce is a family in crisis.
Divorce between two healthy individuals, while still stressful, is a straightforward process that can be done with respect and cooperation. For domestic violence survivors escaping abusive relationships, the abuse doesn’t end - it often escalates after the victim escapes the relationship.
Today, we know that coercive control is the foundation of domestic violence cases and for victims escaping abusive relationships, the process of divorce and family court is re-traumatizing, invalidating, and unjust.
Due to their trauma, we know that survivors and protective parents struggle to explain their circumstances clearly in family court and custody evaluations. What you may not realize is that your clients can’t always clearly communicate to you - their attorney - their circumstances either.
Trauma affects the memory, language and executive functioning centers in the brain impacting a victim’s ability to communicate the facts in their case clearly and effectively.
Domestic abuse survivors are often like a “deer in headlights” when they escape their relationships and they need the support and guidance of someone who truly understands how to not only identify the nuances of Interpersonal Violence, but also how to present the evidence in court so family court professionals see it clearly and can provide the protection that children and victims of domestic violence desperately need.
Your client and their children deserve support from an attorney who “gets it”.
What is Coercive Control?
The following information is respectfully borrowed from Coercive Control Consulting, Inc. by Dr. Christine Cocchiola. Dr. Cocchiola is a researcher, clinician, protective parent and champion of national legislation aimed at protecting children and survivors of domestic violence.
Physical abuse, the abuse recognized by our criminal justice system, and known as the “violent incident model” (Stark, 2012) IS what most people think of when they hear “domestic violence”.
Coercive Control is a pattern of behavior that encompasses other abuses that may be overt or covert. This abuse is based on the need for control by the offender and is the foundation of MOST domestic abuse.
Coercive Control may occur in intimate relationships however we also know that the use of “power over” may occur within systems.
The Systemic Coercive Control or Institutional Coercive Control, occurs over and over again in the family court system, in churches, cults, governments, and other “systems”.
Coercive Control includes psychological abuse such as manipulation, intimidation, gaslighting & isolation. It also may include financial abuse and legal abuse which is when oftentimes the court system is complicit in the coercive control. Additionally, coercive control may include sexual abuse.
Perhaps the worst and more heartbreaking tactic of coercive control is the use of children as weapons in multiple ways, including attempts to harm the relationships between adult victims and child victims.
So how can you help? Keep reading...
Holistic Support Starts with Your Team
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Group Trainings
Customized trainings for your whole firm ensure that clients feel supported from the first time you answer the phone, to the moment they receive court orders that ensure peace and safety for them and their children.
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1:1 Attorney Trainings
No two people - or family court case are the same. Individual trainings provide an opportunity for a deep dive into the nuanced support you need to ensure every client achieves their unique goals throughout their family court journey.
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Direct Client Support
Every touchpoint in your client’s case is vital, but for domestic violence survivors desperate to be heard by family court professionals a plea for help can turn into a divorce disaster. I provide direct support for clients on everything from basics like how to dress for court, to complex issues like creating case-winning documentation and how to provide authentic testimony.
F.A.Q.
How do we support each other?
I’m here to support you and your clients approach each case from a trauma-informed strategy perspective to achieve positive outcomes in family court.
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No, a divorce coach cannot provide legal advice. I can take a lot of the mundane work off of your plate but ultimately my process is to ensure that all strategy is approved by you before it is executed by your clients.
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A divorce coach is not a substitute for a therapist or mental health support. I encourage all o my clients to work with a trauma-informed clinician to support them as they work through their trauma. When clients are holistically supported they can achiev better outcomes in family court.
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In order to receive holistic support I ensure all of my clients have the follow support team in place. When our clients get the support they need they can achieve more positive outcomes in family court.
An attorney
A licensed, trauma-informed therapist
A divorce coach
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I can customize trainings based on your firm’s needs. Book a free consultation today to start designing your firm’s holistic approach to help your clients navigate their way toward a more peaceful presence.