Family reunification camps and policies like those run by Overcoming Barriers https://overcomingbarriers.org/trainings/ are proven to be ineffective and dangerous to children. Overcoming Barriers is in town tomorrow to lead judges, lawyers, guardians ad-litem, and mental health professionals in a conference. The purpose is to help court personnel learn how to force children to spend time with both parents, and how to give financial consequences to parents who don’t agree, or don’t want to make their children comply. The Washington Post reported in 2017 that Overcoming Barriers workshops were shut down after studies failed to prove their efficacy. These camps are a danger to all children, but imagine the impact especially if the child is afraid of a parent due to prior abuse and then is court-ordered to attend camp with the abusive parent. It is NORMAL for a child to be scared of their abuser and to suffer from a trauma or stressor-related disorder such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or have suicidal thoughts. It is NOT normal or healthy to require a child to let down their protective barriers so they ‘get over’ being scared or stressed by their angry and controlling abuser, or so they believe the abuser loves them, wants the best for them, and is worthy of a closer relationship with them.
Here is a snippet of my interview with FOX 2 news from Tuesday.
Dr. Leslie Drodz says the training is “to arrive at actual solutions instead of endless court battles.” Here’s the problem: When you are dealing with an abuser and a protective parent there is no solution that will please the parents or the court. The abuser is out to hurt the protective parent’s heart, turn family and friends against them, and financially ruin them. The protective parent’s goal is to insure the children are safe. The court wants shared custody, or at least visitation, regardless of abuse. The court needs better training to help the victims. I’m not sure I can agree with Judge Banas that highly contested custody cases are the problem and the reason for needing ‘Overcoming Barriers’ to hold a conference this Friday. The problem I see and continually hear about is domestic violence being seen by the court as a high conflict divorce/custody case. High conflict divorces and domestic violence are NOT the same thing. This is why court personnel need training on how to identify and deal with domestic abuse. This will require ongoing education; not a 5-8 hour class. This is why I’m participating in a peaceful protest outside the court house this Friday at 10:30 AM. Please join me!
Watch Judge Burlison’s rebuttal below..
Organizers of the protest suspected she would say she takes the side of the protesters, and she did so. Judge Burlison says a parent can be stripped of their rights if there is abuse. They can, but are they?
What about all the protective parents who come in with professional documentation from one or many of these? Child protective services. child psychologist, family therapist. school counselor or teacher, or a police report. These reports are most commonly ignored in St. Charles County family court. And…if a child discloses abuse they have to disclose it a second time to the ‘correct’ county child advocate so it can be video recorded as evidence for court. If the child doesn’t re-disclose…it’s as if the abuse didn’t happen in the eyes of the court. For toddlers and preschoolers it is often difficult to get them to re-disclose. The interviewer isn’t allowed to ask leading questions in hopes of retrieving the information from them.
Of all the women I, Carolyn, have ministered to in St. Charles County who left their abusers, only the one whose husband went to prison was able to have the abuser’s rights taken away. Another was able to get the abuser to leave them alone if they agreed to a minimal financial settlement.It wasn’t because the court was willing to take his rights away. I also know of multiple cases where the protective parent lost custody to the abusive parent. This happened when they provided professional evidence to abuse. Bringing up abuse to the court often doesn’t end well and is used against the protective parent.
Organizers of the protest believe that more than a ‘parenting plan’ and the right of an abusive parent to have a relationship with a child; a child has a right to a non-abusive home.
Don’t just say these things have to be looked into. LOOK INTO IT! Children’s safety is in your hands and are you are not using the fullest extend of the law, state statutes, to protect them. Criminal courts would not get buy with ignoring and over riding professional testimony like family court does!
Dear readers, please go to overcomingbarriers.org and read for yourself what they teach in their seminars. If our judges want to do a better job for children of family court; we recommend ALIVE STL, BarryGoldstein.net, or https://www.law.gwu.edu/joan-s-meier #CourtToo
Link to FAMILY COURT WATCH: ST. CHARLES COUNTY’s Facebook page here to find out the many reasons the protest is being held. I know it’s last minute, but please, join the protest.
Our grandchild & family are being victimized by St Charles Family Court. We are diligently working to expose their criminal acts. We’ve asked for help from Senators, Representatives, the Governor, Attorney General, FBI, from Jefferson City, MO to Washington DC, and pleaded with victims to step forward, tell their story and join the movement to stop the victimization of children and families by the Family Court and their ‘players’, Court appointed guardian ad litem, psychologist, counselors, and case attorneys who collude together to manipulate the case, steal family assets, and ‘Traffick’ the child through a corrupt Family Court System. They rack up expenses families can’t afford, without just cause; they hold Court behind closed doors, parents are coerced to sign documents under threat of their child being physically taken from them, they lockdown MoCaseNet and refuse access to Court case records…. and when you do get them, records are missing, altered because the clerk had to go through the records, make some changes, pull some things before she/he could release them to the requesting party! Children, (and in our family) are subjected to ongoing abuse, and the protecting parent, their child(ren), and their family are subjected to physical threats, loss of their home while these corrupt criminals take ‘refuge in the protections of so-called Judicial and Quasi judicial immunities……ironically there is NO immunity for criminal acts’ so ask yourself why?
A multi-billion dollar industry, Federal Gov.’ Title IV, GAL’s who knock down over a million dollars just to name a few…….This isn’t just a local problem, it is a systemic issue, criminal in nature, that is pervasive in the United States and beyond, one that destroys its victims.
I’ve seen or heard of every issue you stated. in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. I know of a case that went all the way to the MO Supreme Court, but was dismissed. and all of the actors were given immunity, while acknowledging the petitioner had civil rights violations. I know of several protective parents who were thrown in jail while the child was given to a proven abuser or sex offender. I’ve seen the courts punish protective parents after their kids turned 18 and refused to go with their abuser. Then the protective parents are charged with parental alienation. Or they have to pay child support, which doesn’t make sense at all. There is a woman in St. Louis county whose ex is in prison for child sexual assault. One of the daughters killed herself because of the sexual abuse. A judge doesn’t care and it trying to help the father get custody of the youngest daughter. This is the same father who is in jail for raping the daughter who committed suicide. There is a wrongful death suit against the father, the GAL, the law firm, etc. The judge dismissed it for everyone except the father and the GAL. I’ve heard of children being sentenced to reunification camps with their abusers, so the children can learn to trust and bond with their abuserd. I agree with you, that it provides for the sex trafficking of children. Citizens need to know that they are footing the bill for the living expenses for mainly mothers and children while the dads get off without helping. I did some podcasts for Family Court Watch Missouri (they can be found on Spotify) that talk about the very things you wrote to me. I’ve seen children in desperate medical need and the father refuses the medical and surgical procedures. I’ve seen women spend tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to protect their children from the abuser. In years past, I along with multiple protective moms have written every office we could think of. Crickets. I know of state and federal cases, class action law suits, and civil suit 1982. I hear from women all over the country and so far, most of the cases are dropped or the judge stalls it. The judges protect themselves and each other. I wish you well in your endeavor to protect your precious grandchild. ~Carolyn