Across Canada, professionals in law, justice, and social service systems are facing a growing challenge - working with families where the primary harm is psychological and relational , not physical. Traditional training often focuses on incidents, evidence, and visible injury. But in coercive control cases, the danger lies in patterns - patterns of domination, isolation, and fear that leave no clear timeline yet dictate every decision the survivor makes. Recognizing and respo

On paper, co-parenting sounds ideal.Two parents working together to raise children after a separation. Equal involvement. Open communication. Joint decisions. Mutual respect. But when one parent is manipulative, controlling, or emotionally abusive, the standard co-parenting model can become not only ineffective-it can be dangerous. In separations where destructive dynamics  or abuse of power  are present, striving for “fairness” can actually put one parent and their children