Rebecca C. Mandeville, MFT

Rebecca C. Mandeville is a licensed clinician and researcher, Certified Complex Trauma Treatment Professional, and Family Scapegoat expert whose pioneering research on the abusive aspects of family scapegoating is recognized in clinical and academic settings worldwide. Her book, Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed: Help and Hope for Adults in the Family Scapegoat Role, is the first book to define and describe 'Family Scapegoating Abuse' (FSA), a term she coined during the course of her original Family Systems research while serving as Core Faculty at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.

Rebecca's qualitative research on FSA confirmed that this form of systemic psycho-emotional abuse often results in the development of Complex Trauma symptoms, along with Betrayal Trauma and the experience of chronic toxic shame. In 2024, she coauthored the first peer-reviewed quantitative research study on FSA with research fellow/MD Dr. Kartheek R. Balapala—an important step in further validating the experiences of FSA adult survivors.

In addition to her research, Rebecca writes for various Mental health organizations and publishes regularly on her popular Substack site for FSA adult survivors and interested clinicians. You can learn more about her FSA Education Substack Community by visiting familyscapegoathealing.substack.com.