Navigating a high-conflict divorce is overwhelming on its own — but when you're also raising a child with special needs? The legal, emotional, and logistical challenges multiply.
In this important conversation, Sybil sits down with Dr. Susan Bernstein, a Certified Divorce Coach and expert in high-conflict divorce involving children with special needs. Drawing from her experience as both a professional and a mother of a child with severe special needs, Susan shares critical insights, concrete strategies, and the systemic gaps families must prepare for.
Whether you're in the thick of a custody battle, advocating for services, or worried about long-term care and planning — this episode will offer clarity, hope, and tangible next steps.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why the divorce rate is significantly higher for parents of children with special needs
- How high-conflict personalities often resist diagnosis or care for their child — and what that means for legal decision-making
- The long-term financial, medical, and educational planning you must include in your parenting plan
- How to structure a tiered parenting plan with clear benchmarks and consequences
- The importance of documenting behaviors instead of using psychological labels in court
- Why many parents of special needs kids don’t get the relief of a countdown to 18 — and what long-term advocacy really looks like
- The surprising “silver lining” of divorce when it comes to planning for a child’s lifelong care
Connect w Dr. Susan:
G: https://www.instagram.com/divorcecoach__plus/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/SusanKBernsteincdc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-susan-bernstein-new-york-s-premier-divorce-coach-5aa32510/
https://www.divorcecoachplus.com/
https://divorcewithspecialneedschildren.com/
Please leave us a review or rating and follow/subscribe to the show. This helps the show get out to more people.
If you want to chat more about this topic I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @risingbeyondpc
If you want to support the show you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you! We love being able to make this information accessible to you and your community.
If you've been looking for a supportive community of women going through the topics we cover, head over to our website to learn more about the Rising Beyond Community. - https://www.risingbeyondpc.com/
Where to find more from Rising Beyond:
Rising Beyond Facebook
Rising Beyond LinkedIn
Rising Beyond Pinterest
If you're interested in guesting on the show please fill out this form - https://forms.gle/CSvLWWyZxmJ8GGQu7
Enjoy some of our freebies!
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.