Healing Betrayed Families

In this first episode of a multi-part series on family disclosure, Morgan Ellsworth explores why so many parents fear telling their children the truth about betrayal in the family, and offers a reframe: disclosure isn't the wound, secrecy is. Drawing on the concept of the "witnessing grid," Morgan illustrates the different positions family members can occupy — aware/unaware, empowere...

In this heartfelt conversation, Morgan welcomes Cat Etherington, Director of Recovery at The Naked Truth Project — a UK-based nonprofit working to free lives from the damaging impacts of pornography and problematic sexual behavior. Cat shares openly about her own journey through substance addiction, early motherhood, and the betrayal trauma she later navigated in sobriety. With nearly two decades...

Morgan is joined by Ellia Marcum, certified coach and founder of Mood Well Coaching, for a powerful conversation about what teens need most after family betrayal. Ellia brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this discussion, sharing how betrayal impacts teens emotionally, behaviorally, and relationally, and how parents can support their children without forcing conversations, m...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , host Morgan Ellsworth sits down with Hali Roderick and Monifa Ellis-Addie to explore how ADHD shows up across every part of the betrayal trauma family system–from the person with problematic sexual behaviors, to the betrayed partner, to the children caught in the middle.  These three discuss what standard betrayal trauma treatment gets wrong when ADHD...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , host Morgan Ellsworth discusses how to navigate difficult conversations with your children. When a question from your child catches you off-guard, there are tools you can use to make sure the child is heard, empathized with, and that their question is answered. Drawing from trauma-informed family systems care, Morgan explains what your child is really...

In this conversation, Morgan is speaking with Amie Woolsey to discuss the often-overlooked impact of betrayal trauma on teens, young adults, and the entire family system. This episode was previously posted on Amie’s podcast “Choose to Be” as part of their series on supporting children through betrayal. In the conversation, Morgan shares both personal and professional insight as someone who experie...

Welcome to the final episode of the Healing Betrayed Families podcast's DBT Skills series! In this episode, Morgan dives into interpersonal effectiveness, a critical set of skills for enhancing communication and relationships. Morgan emphasizes that these skills play a vital role in healing and relational repair in betrayed families. Mastering interpersonal effectiveness can create safety and...

What does it look like when a mother and daughter do the healing work together? In this special episode, I'm joined by my mom and my sister to pull back the curtain on the Becoming Together Mother-Daughter Retreat, an intimate gathering just outside Sedona, Arizona, designed for moms and daughters who are both actively doing their personal growth work and ready to bring it into their relations...

In this episode, we delve into emotional regulation, a crucial skill for everyone, especially those navigating betrayal trauma or recovery journeys. This episode serves as a foundational guide to understanding and managing emotions, making it ideal for both adults and children. Key Concepts: Understanding Emotions: Emotions provide valuable information about our experiences, similar to a car's...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families, we dive into the crucial topic of distress tolerance as part of our ongoing DBT Skills series. Building on last week’s foundational episode on mindfulness, we explore practical skills for managing emotional pain and distress. If you haven't listened to the previous episode, we encourage you to pause and catch up for a comprehensive understanding. K...

In this episode, we guide you through a DBT mindfulness meditation focused on trauma awareness and emotional regulation. This practice is designed to help you connect with your breath, acknowledge your feelings, and create a safe mental space for healing. Review Morgan’s mindfulness handout About the Host Morgan Ellsworth is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (LAMFT) with advanced...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , we introduce Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)—a practical, skills-based approach for navigating intense emotions, reducing reactivity, and improving relationships. You’ll learn the core concept of “dialectics,” or holding two opposing truths at once, and how this shows up in the idea of Wise Mind —the balance between emotional and logical thinking....

In this episode, I sit down with Pam Blizzard to talk about betrayal from multiple angles—her experience as a betrayed wife, the child of a sex addict, and now a professional supporting women and couples healing from betrayal trauma. Pam shares her powerful story of growing up in a home shaped by secrecy, addiction, and betrayal, and how those early experiences impacted her relationships, marriage...

In this episode, we continue the boundary series by focusing on what it looks like for parents to be on the receiving end of their teen or adult child setting boundaries. While this can feel uncomfortable or even painful at times, boundaries are not a sign of rejection—they are a form of communication and a crucial step toward safety, healing, and healthy differentiation. This is especially import...

In this episode, we begin a two-part mini series all about boundaries within families. This first episode is geared towards teenagers and adult children, focusing on how to begin setting healthy, respectful boundaries with parents.  Many teens and adult children feel like they are not allowed to have boundaries with their parents because it feels disrespectful, selfish, or ungrateful. But boundari...

In this episode, I’m sharing part of a conversation I had with Melissa Macomber as part of her upcoming interview series focused on supporting children and families impacted by betrayal. Melissa is interviewing professionals and adult children who have walked this journey to better understand how families can support children emotionally after infidelity and relational betrayal. In our conversatio...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , Morgan is joined by Melissa Macomber , a former therapist and parent infidelity expert, for a deeply meaningful conversation about how parental infidelity impacts teens and young adults, and why this stage of development can actually be a powerful window for healing. Together, they explore why adolescents and young adults are often at a developmentall...

Register for our upcoming course for parents: Intentional Parenting After Betrayal  In this episode, we share details about our upcoming Intentional Parenting After Betrayal course, a five-week course designed to support parents who are navigating the impact of betrayal trauma while also trying to show up in healthy, intentional ways for their children. Betrayal impacts the entire family system, a...

In this episode, Sarah breaks down gaslighting in a way that is clear, practical, and deeply validating—moving beyond buzzwords to help listeners understand what gaslighting actually is, what it isn’t, and why it is so damaging to self-trust. Together, Morgan and Sarah explore gaslighting through Sarah’s “equation” framework, explaining what must be present on both sides for gaslighting to occur,...

In this follow-up episode, we continue equipping parents with clear, age-appropriate language to support their children, and offer teens and adult children insight into critical concepts on the healing journey. The focus of this conversation is psychological abuse, using an umbrella lens that includes mental and emotional abuse. This episode is not about blaming or pathologizing a parent or partne...

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked reality that children can, and do, experience betrayal trauma when a parent’s infidelity, addiction, secrecy, or relational rupture enters the family system. Drawing from both personal reflection and clinical insight, this conversation breaks down the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, relational, spiritual, and sexual impacts betrayal can have on ch...

Betrayal trauma is often talked about as a couple’s crisis, but betrayal is never contained to the marriage alone. In this episode, Morgan Ellsworth and her mother, Hali Roderick, explore the often-overlooked impact of parental betrayal on children and the entire family system. As both professionals in the betrayal trauma field, and as a mother and daughter who have lived this experience firsthand...

In this episode, Morgan addresses one of the most common questions parents ask during seasons of relational crisis: How do I explain what’s happening to my kids? She offers clear, age-appropriate language (geared toward teens 14+) to help families talk about two complex topics—betrayal trauma and compulsive sexual behavior. This episode equips parents with practical language to foster honesty, red...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , Morgan Ellsworth offers a gentle, trauma-informed guided meditation designed to support individuals and families impacted by betrayal trauma. This practice invites listeners to slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and honor their emotions as they arise, without judgment, suppression, or self-blame. Through grounding, compassionate awareness, and ne...

In this episode of Healing Betrayed Families , host Morgan Ellsworth explores emotional regulation after betrayal and why dysregulation is a normal, nervous-system response to relational harm. When trust is broken within a family system, both adults and children experience a loss of safety that can lead to heightened reactivity, shutdown, confusion, and emotional overwhelm—often in different but i...