When Estrangement Masks Abuse

Key points

Coercive control is a pattern of behavior in which one individual exerts power and dominance over another.

When abusers can no longer maintain control through psychological tactics, they often escalate.

Clinicians must help clients rediscover and reclaim their reality.

In this post, I'll explore key therapeutic principles for assessing justified or unjustified family estrangement. Some name this "alienation"; however, as an attachment -focused therapist, I prefer to use the term "fractured attachment" to define how and why estrangement occurs. As therapists, we are trained to validate our clients’ perspectives, and estrangement is a legitimate response to past abuse. However, what if the estrangement is the result of manipulation? What if a client has been coerced into bel