About this episode

Dr. Peter Favaro discusses the impact of high-conflict custody battles on children and the tactics used by toxic parents.

High-conflict separation ends healthy family dynamics and destroys childhoods. When parents weaponize their children, coach them to lie about the other parent, manipulate therapy sessions to serve their agenda, or pit siblings against each other in impossible loyalty battles, the emotional devastation can last a lifetime. After 40 years and over 4,000 high-conflict custody evaluations, Dr. Peter Favaro has witnessed the darkest tactics parents use against each other—and the collateral damage inflicted on children caught in the middle. As Managing Director of a leading custody evaluation practice, he's seen how inter-parental hatred strains relationships and distorts reality, causing parents to genuinely believe the other parent is dangerous even when evidence suggests otherwise. In this essential conversation for anyone navigating difficult co-parenting, Dr. Favaro discusses: * What "weaponizing children" actually looks like—the specific tactics toxic parents use and why they convince themselves it's justified * The role of personality disorders—how narcissistic and borderline personality disorder patterns fuel high-conflict custody battles * How inter-parental hatred warps…

People in this episode

Host: Cynthia Ramsaran

Guest: Dr. Peter Favaro

Topics covered

• high-conflict custody
• mental health
• manipulation
• co-parenting
• child advocacy
• family dynamics

Keywords

• custody battles
• weaponizing children
• personality disorders
• inter-parental hatred
• sibling relationships

More episodes of Guardians of Hope: Empowering Child Advocacy

• S3/Ep 18: How Stepparents Can Provide What Kids in Blended Families Need · May 25, 2026 · 15 min
• S3/Ep 16: From One Garage to a Nationwide Movement — Ending Child Bedlessness · April 12, 2026 · 34 min
• S3/Ep 15: What Kids Need to Hear When Someone They Love Dies · March 29, 2026 · 29 min
• S3/Ep 14: Beyond "Wait and See," The Science Mainstream Medicine Isn't Telling Autism Families · March 16, 2026 · 27 min
• S3/Ep 13: Is Cutting Off Family Weakness Or Wisdom? ? The Psychology of Family Estrangement · March 1, 2026 · 19 min
• S3/Ep 12: When Foster Kids Turn 18, the System Abandons Them. So What Happens Next? · February 15, 2026 · 15 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Guardians of Hope: Empowering Child Advocacy podcast page.