In this episode of Your Traitor Within, Jessica Anne Pressler sits down with therapist, author, and educator Jennifer Parker, MSSW, for a powerful conversation about coercive control, intimate partner abuse, healing, and the internalized messages survivors carry long after a relationship ends.
Jennifer is the author of Coercive Relationships: Find the Answers You Seek and the creator of the Journey to Healing intervention framework. Through her work with Find Your Voice: End the Silence, she trains therapists to better recognize coercive control and support survivors of abuse with greater skill, awareness, and compassion.
Together, Jessica and Jennifer discuss why so many therapists historically missed the signs of coercive control, the dangers of treating symptoms without understanding context, and why survivors so often leave therapy feeling blamed rather than understood. They explore the overlap between Jennifer's concept of the "internalized abuser" and Jessica's framework of the Traitor Within, examining how childhood experiences, family dynamics, and abusive relationships can shape self-worth, self-doubt, and decision-making.
Jennifer also shares her own Traitor Within story, including the painful awakening that followed infidelity in her first marriage, the childhood experiences that shaped her self-esteem, and the healing journey that ultimately led her to become an advocate, educator, and voice for survivors.
This conversation is a reminder that healing is not about fixing what is wrong with you. It is about recognizing what happened to you, reclaiming your voice, and learning to trust yourself again.
About Jennifer Parker:
Jennifer Parker, MSSW, is a therapist, author of Coercive Relationships: Find the Answers You Seek, and creator of the Journey to Healing intervention framework. Through her work with Find Your Voice: End the Silence, she provides training and resources that help therapists support survivors of coercive control and intimate partner abuse.
Connect with Jennifer Parker:
Website:
https://www.findyourvoicehealing.com/
Book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1684336678/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jenniferc.parker/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JenniferCParkerMSSW
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/jennifer-parker-therapy-training-consultation/
Email:
jennifer@findyourvoicehealing.com
Support the show
