Navigating a high-conflict divorce is overwhelming on its own — but when you're also raising a child with special needs? The legal, emotional, and logistical challenges multiply.

In this important conversation, Sybil sits down with Dr. Susan Bernstein, a Certified Divorce Coach and expert in high-conflict divorce involving children with special needs. Drawing from her experience as both a professional and a mother of a child with severe special needs, Susan shares critical insights, concrete strategies, and the systemic gaps families must prepare for.

Whether you're in the thick of a custody battle, advocating for services, or worried about long-term care and planning — this episode will offer clarity, hope, and tangible next steps.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the divorce rate is significantly higher for parents of children with special needs
• How high-conflict personalities often resist diagnosis or care for their child — and what that means for legal decision-making
• The long-term financial, medical, and educational planning you must include in your parenting plan
• How to structure a tiered parenting plan with clear benchmarks and consequences
• The importance of documenting behaviors instead of using psychological labels in court
• Why many parents of special needs kids don’t get the relief of a countdown to 18 — and what long-term advocacy really looks like
• The surprising “silver lining” of divorce when it comes to planning for a child’s lifelong care

Connect w Dr. Susan:

G: https://www.instagram.com/divorcecoach__plus/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SusanKBernsteincdc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-susan-bernstein-new-york-s-premier-divorce-coach-5aa32510/

https://www.divorcecoachplus.com/

https://divorcewithspecialneedschildren.com/

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Ever look in the mirror and think, “I don’t even know who I am anymore”?

If you've survived a coercive, abusive relationship — or are still dealing with the chaos of post-separation abuse — that feeling isn’t just common, it’s expected. You’ve been in survival mode for so long that things like identity, purpose, and values may feel like luxuries you can’t afford.

But what if reconnecting with your values is exactly what helps you move forward.

In this episode Sybil gets real about what happens to your sense of self after abuse — and how you can begin to reclaim it, even if you're still living in the storm of post-separation chaos. She’ll walk you through how your values got buried (or used against you), why reconnecting with them is not optional for healing, and a powerful exercise that helps uncover what truly matters to you.

This is not about reinventing yourself — it’s about remembering who you are.

You'll Learn:

• Why your values were likely distorted or silenced during the abuse
• How moral injury shows up when you're forced to act against your beliefs
• What your current pain might reveal about your deepest values
• A powerful journaling exercise to help you reconnect with your truth
• How to start living by your values again — even in tiny ways — and why that changes everything

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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If you’ve ever been told that a psychological test “proved” you were unstable or overeactive in your custody case—while your abusive ex seemed cool, calm, and collected—you are not alone.

In this short but important episode, I’m unpacking why the MMPI and MMPI-2—often used in court-ordered evaluations—can misrepresent survivors of coercive control and domestic violence. These tests were not designed with trauma survivors in mind, and their results can be dangerously misinterpreted when evaluators aren’t trained in coercive dynamics.

I’ll also explain how abusers, especially narcissists, often “pass” these tests easily by presenting as emotionally flat or in control—while the survivor appears anxious, reactive, or paranoid, all of which are normal trauma responses.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating family court, custody evaluations, or preparing for a psychological assessment after surviving abuse.

Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.

If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc

If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.

If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/

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