The System Took My Children and Called It Healing: A Family Court Horror Story

What happens when the system meant to protect children becomes the source of their trauma?In this episode of Living in the Aftermath, Lyndsey sits down with Kitty Mayo, founder of Georgia Protective Parents, to discuss her family's experience navigating family court, reunification programs, child advocacy, and the fight to bring children home.After years of advocating for her stepchildren following abuse allegations, Kitty and her husband found themselves facing a system they never expected. What followed was years of separation, staggering financial costs, profound grief, and ultimately a mission to help other families facing similar challenges.Together, Lyndsey and Kitty discuss:• Reunification camps and reunification therapy programs• Family court and child custody challenges• Protective parents and child advocacy• The emotional impact of forced family separation• Healing after family court trauma• Finding purpose through advocacy• Legislative efforts to protect children• The importance of using your voice, even when the system tells you not toThis conversation explores difficult questions about child safety, family court reform, trauma, resilience, and what happens when children say they are not being heard.Whether you are a survivor, protective parent, advocate, professional, or simply someone who cares about child welfare, this episode offers an important perspective on a topic many families never hear about until it impacts their own lives.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Learn more and connect with Georgia Protective Parents:Website:https://georgiaprotectiveparents.orgLinktree:https://linktr.ee/georgiaprotectiveparentsFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaProtectiveParentsInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/georgiaprotectiveparents━━━━━━━━━━━━━━RESOURCESNational Domestic Violence Hotlinehttps://www.thehotline.orgCall or Text: 800-799-SAFE (7233)The Refuge Utahhttps://www.therefugeutah.orgCrisis Text LineText HOME to 741741https://www.crisistextline.orgIf you are in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━DISCLAIMERThe views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, production team, or affiliated organizations.This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, mental health, or professional advice.This episode contains discussions involving domestic violence, child abuse allegations, family court proceedings, trauma, coercive control, and reunification programs. Listener discretion is advised.All individuals discussed are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Experiences shared represent personal perspectives and lived experiences.