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Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

Auteur(s): Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola
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 Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW is a Coercive Control Educator, Researcher, & Survivor. She has been an advocate since the age of 19, passionate about protecting children from abuse. Yet, even as a therapist, she didn't see the signs in her own relationship. How do we, as protective parents, support our children harmed by the coercive controller (aka Narcissistic Abuser)? Dr. Cocchiola's expertise provides the framework for supporting protective parents as they navigate parenting children harmed by the coercive controller. Protective parents can show their children a path to freedom.Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola
Épisodes
  • Family Court Harm and Institutional Betrayal with Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno

    Family Court Harm and Institutional Betrayal with Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno
    Mar 13 2026
    DescriptionIn this episode of Perfect Prey, I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno, founder and director of the SHERA Research Group and lecturer in public health at the University of Manchester. Dr. Dalgarno’s work focuses on the global harms caused by family court systems and the institutional abuse experienced by women and children navigating these legal processes.Through SHERA’s groundbreaking research, Dr. Dalgarno and her international team have documented how family court engagement can produce profound health consequences for protective parents and children. Their studies reveal a disturbing pattern: when abuse is reported, mothers are frequently accused of “parental alienation,” their credibility is questioned, and the legal system often becomes an extension of the abuse rather than a source of protection.Together, we explore how coercive control continues after separation, how courts can become tools of post-separation abuse, and why the health impacts of family court trauma are still largely ignored by institutions responsible for protecting families.What we coverThe mission and global research of the SHERA Research GroupHow family court systems create institutional betrayal for survivorsThe health consequences of family court trauma for women and childrenThe “blueprint” pattern many protective parents experience after reporting abuseWhy parental alienation frameworks often silence abuse disclosuresThe concept of malicious fracturing of attachmentHow coercive control continues through legal systems after separationWhy systemic reform is necessary to protect children and survivorsWhy listenIf you are a survivor, protective parent, clinician, researcher, attorney, or advocate, this episode offers crucial insight into how family court systems can perpetuate harm rather than stop it. Dr. Dalgarno’s research provides evidence-based documentation of what protective parents have been saying for decades—and highlights why systemic reform is urgently needed.Guest bio (short)Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno is the founder and director of the SHERA Research Group, a global collective studying the health impacts of institutional abuse within family court systems. She is a lecturer in public health at the University of Manchester, where she teaches global women’s public health and health system challenges. Her research focuses on the intersection of coercive control, institutional harm, and the health consequences experienced by women and children navigating family courts worldwide.Learn more about SHERA ResearchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherafamily_Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sherafamilyBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sherafamilySubstack: Still Not Safe – Dr. DalgarnoConnect with Dr. ChristineProtective Parenting Program:https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/services/for-parents/Official site:https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@DrCocchiola-coercivecontrol/videosTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.c_coercivecontrolInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/dr.cocchiola_coercivecontrol/Books:https://url-shortener.me/c/FramedBookhttps://url-shortener.me/c/EveryMomentOfEveryDayIf this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it, subscribe to Perfect Prey, and consider leaving a review. Your support helps other survivors and protective parents find validation and clarity.— Dr. Christine Cocchiola & guest Dr. Elizabeth Dalgarno
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    42 min
  • The Weaponization of Children in Coercive Control

    The Weaponization of Children in Coercive Control
    Feb 20 2026

    Description


    In this solo episode of Perfect Prey, I explore one of the most heartbreaking dynamics of coercive control: the weaponization of children.


    Children rely on their parents for safety, stability, and unconditional love. But when a predatory parent is operating within the family system, attachment can become fractured.

    Instead of growing up with secure connection, children are often indoctrinated into false narratives, exposed to subtle undermining, and pulled into loyalty binds they cannot cognitively or emotionally process.


    I explain how coercive control is the underpinning of all forms of abuse — psychological, legal, financial, physical, and emotional — and how, when an abuser can no longer control their partner, they often shift to controlling through the child.


    We’ll talk about:

    • How attachment is formed — and how it can be fractured

    • Why children may come home dysregulated, angry, or oppositional

    • How subtle undermining and false narratives are planted

    • The difference between alienation rhetoric and attachment fracture

    • Why predatory parents rely on retaliation and loyalty conflicts

    • How protective parents can create “roadblocks” to manipulation

    • What it means to respond instead of react — even when you are traumatized


    This episode is especially for protective parents navigating post-separation abuse and family court dynamics. The reality is painful: children are often placed in impossible positions, forced into emotional roles they should never have to carry.


    But there are ways to respond differently.


    If you are watching your child struggle, unravel, or lash out after time with the other parent, this episode will help you understand what may be happening beneath the surface — and how to stay grounded in your role as the secure base.


    Protective parents are doing some of the hardest work there is. You are not alone.


    Connect with Dr. Christine

    Protective Parenting Program:
    https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/services/for-parents/

    Official site:
    https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/

    YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@DrCocchiola-coercivecontrol/videos

    TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.c_coercivecontrol

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/dr.cocchiola_coercivecontrol/

    Books:
    https://url-shortener.me/c/FramedBook
    https://url-shortener.me/c/EveryMomentOfEveryDay


    If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs this information, subscribe to Perfect Prey, and consider leaving a review. It helps other survivors and protective parents find validation and clarity.

    — Dr. Christine Cocchiola
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    26 min
  • Coercive Control Is a War of Attrition with Laura Richards

    Coercive Control Is a War of Attrition with Laura Richards
    Feb 6 2026
    In this episode of Perfect Prey, I’m joined by Laura Richards, a criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard specialist, and one of the leading global voices on coercive control. Laura has been instrumental in changing laws on stalking and coercive control in the UK and internationally, and her work has helped shape policy, legislation, and professional practice worldwide.We explore why coercive control is not about isolated incidents, but a patterned strategy of domination, entrapment, and power imbalance. Laura explains why coercive control is best understood as a war of attrition, how patriarchy and misogyny shape institutional responses, and why women and children are so often disbelieved—even when the evidence is present.This conversation examines how legal systems, family courts, and law enforcement frequently fail victims and survivors, particularly at the point of separation, when risk escalates most dramatically. We also discuss why coercive control must be criminalized, why gender matters in risk assessment, and how language itself can either obscure or reveal abuse.What we coverWhat coercive control really is and why it’s a patterned form of abuseWhy victims and survivors are often disbelieved by systems meant to protect themCoercive control as “murders and suicides in slow motion”The role of patriarchy, entitlement, and power imbalance in abuseWhy separation is the most dangerous time for women and childrenHow family courts can become a tool of post-separation abuseWhy protecting children requires protecting the non-abusive parentThe urgent need to criminalize coercive control globallyWhy listen If you are a survivor, protective parent, clinician, attorney, advocate, or policymaker, this episode offers critical insight into how coercive control operates beneath the surface of relationships and systems. Laura Richards brings clarity to why abuse is so often minimized, misunderstood, or reframed—and what must change to prevent further harm.Guest bio (short)Laura Richards is a criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard specialist, and a leading international expert on coercive control, stalking, and violence against women. She helped create the DASH risk assessment model, founded the National Stalking Advocacy Service (Paladin), and played a central role in criminalizing coercive control in England and Wales. Laura is the author of Policing Domestic Violence and host of the Crime Analyst and Real Crime Profile podcasts.Connect with Dr. ChristineOfficial site: https://www.thelaurarichards.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimeanalyst?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==X (twitter): https://x.com/thecrimeanalystTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crimeanalystpodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCksfRSwfwFqUCjcxKYju6_QBooks: https://www.thelaurarichards.com/resources/booksConnect with Dr. ChristineProtective Parenting Program: https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/services/for-parents/Official site: https://www.coercivecontrolconsulting.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrCocchiola-coercivecontrol/videosTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.c_coercivecontrolInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.cocchiola_coercivecontrol/TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp2qByKOue4&t=24sBooks:https://url-shortener.me/c/FramedBookhttps://url-shortener.me/c/EveryMomentOfEveryDayIf this episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs this information, subscribe to Perfect Prey, and consider leaving a review to help other survivors find validation and clarity.— Dr. Christine Cocchiola & guest Laura Richards
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    35 min
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