Episode 12: Divorcing a Narcissist: Family Court and Parental Alienation with Tina Swithin

Next Up: Narcissism

“What is happening behind closed doors of the family court system would horrify everyone in the country and around the world if they truly knew,” says Tina Swithin, renowned family court advocate, author of the “Divorcing a Narcissist” book series, blogger and owner of One Mom’s Battle, and founder of the High Conflict Divorce Coach Certification Program. In this episode, Dr. Z and Tina discuss the often deeply flawed family court system, particularly in cases involving high-conflict divorce.

Tina sheds light on the dark underbelly of the “alienation industry,” detailing the disturbing practices of reunification camps and the resulting psychological trauma these camps have on children as well as the healthy parent.

Highlighting her ongoing legislative success in banning these camps, Tina emphasizes the continued need for careful documentation, local support networks, and increased advocacy to push for system reform. Dr. Z and Tina provide essential advice and resources for those involved in high-conflict divorces, stressing the importance of awareness, support, and meticulous documentation as they navigate the family court system.

Quotes

• “The first step towards change is awareness on these topics. We need to be talking about it because there are so many survivors of domestic violence who believe the messaging from society—just be brave, leave. And then they assume that once they step foot into the family court system, that they are going to be protected and that their children are going to be protected. That’s absolutely not what’s happening.” (04:05 | Tina Swithin)
• “I think that the family court system is working the way it was designed. A lot of people say it’s broken. It’s like, no, it’s doing what it was designed to do. It has become an industrial complex. It has become an incredibly lucrative industry where it attracts a lot of very unscrupulous professionals, ‘professionals’ who are not there for the right reasons. They’re there for profit. And it should be what is in the child’s best interest.” (05:17 | Tina Swithin)
• “The industry that has been created around the thought that two parents are absolutely critical to a child, they’ve created their own industry: reunification industry, alienation industry. By the time I retire, I hope it’s exposed. It will go down in history as the biggest multilevel marketing scheme of our lifetime.” (29:39 | Tina Swithin)

Links

Sign Up for my LIVE Summer Support Group here: https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/workshops

Connect with Tina Swithin:

One Moms Battle: https://www.onemomsbattle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onemomsbattle/

X: https://x.com/onemomsbattle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onemomsbattle

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onemomsbattle?lang=en

Book: https://amzn.to/3VcdjPC

Connect with Dr. Jaime Zuckerman:

https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/

https://www.zgrouptherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z_psychologist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.z_psychologist

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm