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Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast

By: Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola
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About this listen

 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
Episodes
  • 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 mins
  • 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 mins
  • Child Sexual Abuse, Grooming, and the Systems That Fail Children with Andrew Carpenter

    Child Sexual Abuse, Grooming, and the Systems That Fail Children with Andrew Carpenter
    Jan 23 2026

    In this episode of Perfect Prey, I’m joined by Andrew Carpenter, a solicitor and partner at Webster Lawyers in Australia, widely known for his work holding child sexual abuse perpetrators accountable and advocating for systemic reform.


    Andrew and I have a frank, uncomfortable, and deeply necessary conversation about child sexual abuse, grooming, coercive control, and the institutional failures that continue to endanger children. We explore how child predators use the same grooming tactics as coercive controllers, how technology and AI have dramatically increased access to abuse material, and why legal systems—including family courts—so often fail to protect children and the parents trying to keep them safe.


    This episode centers the reality that child sexual abuse is not rare, not accidental, and not a crime of opportunity—it is intentional, patterned, and enabled by silence, disbelief, and systemic blind spots.


    What we cover

    • How child sexual abuse perpetrators groom children, families, and institutions

    • Why all child predators use coercive control and relational grooming tactics

    • The disturbing accessibility of child abuse material online

    • How technology, AI, and social media are being weaponized against children

    • Why most abuse occurs within trusted relationships and family systems

    • The failures of criminal courts and family courts to protect child victims

    • Why lack of physical evidence does not mean abuse did not occur

    • Warning signs, behavioral red flags, and changes parents should not ignore

    • How shame, fear, and silence protect perpetrators—not children

    • What meaningful prevention, accountability, and reform must address


    Why listen

    If you are a survivor, protective parent, clinician, attorney, educator, or advocate, this episode provides critical insight into how child sexual abuse actually operates—and why so many children are disbelieved, retraumatized, or returned to unsafe environments. Andrew’s work exposes how deeply embedded these harms are within systems that claim to protect children, and why uncomfortable conversations are essential to change.


    Guest bio (short)

    Andrew Carpenter is a solicitor and partner at Webster Lawyers in Australia, specializing in child sexual abuse litigation and survivor advocacy. He is widely recognized for challenging institutional failures, advocating for legal reform, and amplifying survivor voices in cases where children have been silenced or ignored. His work focuses on accountability, deterrence, and systemic change to better protect children.


    Connect with Andrew Carpenter

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

    Websters Lawyers:https://websterslawyers.com.au/lawyers/andrew-carpenter

    Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/andrewcarpentersolicitor?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

    LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-carpenter-041456123/


    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_coercivecontrolIf this episode landed for you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it, subscribe for more trauma-informed conversations, and consider leaving a review- it helps other survivors and protective parents find validation and safety.

    -Dr. Christine Cocchiola & guest Andrew Carpenter
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    42 mins
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