Frequently Asked Questions - Healing the Scapegoat Wound: FSA Education Support Community
“In a world of quick answers from non-experts and emotionally activating soundbites, I'm committed to providing you with deeply researched insights into the insidious systemic phenomenon I named ‘Family Scapegoating Abuse’ (FSA) in a trauma-informed manner. Your paid subscription supports both your recovery journey and my mission to raise global awareness about the devastating effects of FSA on child victims and adult survivors, in conjunction with my original Family Scapegoating Abuse research. Since I’m also a community member and group facilitator, you’ll be able to engage with me directly within our private community Chat spaces and Post comments, as well as Direct Messages.
Learn more about what my Substack can offer FSA survivors by visiting my ‘About’ page.” - Rebecca C. Mandeville, LMFT
Below you can find answers to frequently asked questions to help you get the most out of your free or paid subscription:
Frequently Asked Questions
If you've been in the ‘family scapegoat’ role, you know how deeply the trauma imprints on you, conditioning you to expect rejection, abandonment, and isolation. This makes it incredibly hard to see — let alone trust — possibilities for true connection. Yet, the path to healing isn't walked alone. It requires the courage to take a calculated risk: the risk to connect, to share, and to build community with others who truly understand.
About Our Expert-Led Paid Community
Qualifications and Background
Q: What’s your qualifications and background in relation to Family Scapegoating Abuse (FSA) and its effects on child victims and adult survivors?
A: I’m a world-renowned Family Systems expert and licensed Clinician, Clinical Researcher, and Certified Complex Trauma Treatment Professional. I coined the term ‘Family Scapegoating Abuse’ (FSA) via my original Family Systems research and am the leading world expert on this insidious systemic phenomenon. I’m also the author of the first book on FSA, Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed and am an FSA survivor myself - I therefore know first-hand how confusing, distressing, and painful being in the ‘family scapegoat’ role can be.
Published Work and Research
Access my latest peer-reviewed study on FSA here: https://oapub.org/hlt/index.php/EJPHS/article/view/202/202
My clinical research website: https://www.scapegoatrecovery.com
My Role on Substack
Q: What is your role on Substack, and how can I contact you?
A: Per my Substack’s Terms of Service, I serve as a trauma-informed group facilitator and educator on Substack, not as a clinician. I do not offer individual mentorship, free consultations, coaching, counseling, or analysis of your personal family situation, nor can I advise you directly on family matters. However, our community is a valuable space for sharing "experience, strength, and hope” and as a community we can offer you our collective wisdom, as well as understanding, support, and validation. You can email me with questions about my Substack offerings or features, or send a Direct Message via Substack by clicking on my Profile photo.
You can check out my ‘Notes’ here (Notes are like ‘Tweets’ on Substack) and my my latest Substack activity here.
Q: Can I see you privately for a consultation?
A: I am now able to see paid subscribers of my Substack for a single (not weekly) FSA Recovery Consultation. Paid Subscribers receive a 10% discount. Founding Members (FSA Research Patrons) of my Substack receive a 20% discount on their consultation. Visit my website for more details. There may be a several week wait.
Why Am I Getting So Many Emails From Substack When I Only Signed Up To Receive Your Publication?
You may have subscribed to my recommended content when subscribing. Your Profile Settings may also be set up so that Substack curates other authors and publications and sends you their content. You also may be getting marketing emails from Substack. Here’s how to reduce unwanted emails:
1. Unsubscribe from a specific Substack email:
Open any Substack email you receive.
Locate the "Unsubscribe" link, typically at the bottom of the email.
Click the "Unsubscribe" link to remove yourself from that specific publication's email list.
2. Adjust email preferences within your Substack account:
Log in to your Substack account and navigate to your account settings by clicking on your profile avatar and scrolling down to ‘Settings’.
Find the "Notifications" section, which may be under "Marketing" or "Subscribing".
Uncheck the boxes next to the types of emails you want to stop receiving, such as "Marketing" or "Reading Suggestions".
You can also adjust push notification preferences for the same categories.
Community Interaction and Support
Q: How can I get personal advice or support for FSA-related situations?
A: For personal feedback on your situation, you can pose questions privately to our community via the popular Ask the Community feature in our paywall-protected (private) Chat space. Community members often have a wealth of wisdom and FSA experience to share and I also contribute to these conversations; however, as per our Community Guidelines, we do not offer ‘advice’ or tell you what to do; instead, we share our “experience, strength, and hope” based on our own FSA-related experiences that you may then apply to your situation, if you wish. Paid subscribers can email me their question for the community or send it to me via a Direct Message on Substack. (Please note that I cannot advise you directly on your family matters, and our community is not equipped to advise on 'crisis' situations.)
Q: How do I introduce myself to other paid Community Members?
A: Every Friday I post a ‘Small (Recovery) Gains’ Chat. In this Chat thread, I invite new paid Community members to introduce themselves. Simply reply to my original Small Gains post and leave your self-introduction in a reply for the community to see and respond to.
Q: Do you have moderators reviewing messages in Chat Threads and Post Comments?
A: Yes. I serve as the moderator and I review all comments and replies on my Substack. I will remove any comment that violates are Community Guidelines (see below), including comments that invalidate another’s healing process (tools and techniques they use, people they follow, ‘advice-giving’, etc), as such comments can provoke ‘toxic shame’ within FSA survivors. Subscribers may use the ‘Report’ feature attached to each comment (or reply) if they are concerned that a Community Guideline has been violated.
Q: Do you reply to each and every comment left by subscribers?
A: While I review all comments, replies, etc, I may not always leave a reply in return. I do try to ‘heart’ the comment / reply so you know I saw it. If you would definitely like a reply from me, let me know this in your comment, bearing in mind my role on Substack as facilitator and educator, not counselor / consultant. I also prioritize paid subscribers comments on days I’m short on time, which can happen when I’m engaged in a new FSA research study.
Q: Are there community guidelines I need to follow? And what type of individual best fits your particular community environment?
A: Yes, our Paid Subscriber community is international and diverse. Please adhere to our Community Guidelines to ensure our community remains a safe, respectful, and healing space for all. My Substack community is best suited for people who value depth, clinical accuracy, ethical practice, trauma-informed content, and a nuanced understanding of complex trauma. They are probably looking for healing, not just validation of their anger. My content might resonate more with individuals who are past the initial shock and outrage phase of waking up to the fact they’ve been the target of Family Scapegoating Abuse (FSA) and are ready for deeper, more sustainable healing work in an expert-led community. Not only do I offer subscribers unique insights into FSA and how to heal from it; my content promotes critical shifts in perspective; and offers the potential for healing that my expertise provides. discussing FSA provides.
Privacy and Security
Q: How do you protect my privacy as a paid community member?
A: To maintain the security and integrity of our community and to comply with financial regulations and Stripe’s anti-fraud measures, we do not accept pre-paid credit cards. Similarly, subscriptions initiated using disposable email addresses are not permitted as they hinder our ability to verify legitimate transactions and prevent potential misuse of the platform. These measures are also in place to ensure a safe and trustworthy environment for all our subscribers.
If you are a current subscriber using a pre-paid credit card or disposable email address and have trouble renewing your subscription, please email me or Direct Message me here.
Q: Can I advertise, promote, or solicit my products, services, or publications on your Substack?
A: Sorry, to protect my subscribers from unwanted interactions, I do not allow any kind of solicitation on my Healing the Scapegoat Wound Substack. I also will ban subscribers (including paid) who do so. I will also ban subscribers who use my Substack in an attempt to “fish” for paid subscribers and/or convert them to clients.
Subscription Information
Q: How much is a monthly or annual subscription and why should I subscribe?
A: As the world's foremost expert on Family Scapegoating Abuse (FSA), my Substack subscription offers unparalleled value, reflecting over two decades of specialized research, clinical practice, and direct support for survivors. Creating content and facilitating my Substack community is now my full-time job. The fee you pay provides access to a wealth of carefully crafted FSA-related content, including deeply insightful analyses, evidence-based coping strategies, private Paid Members-only video livestreams, and a supportive private community discussion ‘Chat’ space, all meticulously crafted from my unique perspective and extensive experience. In short, my Substack is a dedicated resource built upon the most comprehensive understanding of FSA available globally, making the subscription fee a reasonable investment for anyone seeking clarity, validation, and tangible pathways to healing from this complex and often misunderstood form of family dysfunction.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICES (For NEW Subscribers Only - Current Subscribers Remain at the Same Rate Unless You Unsubscribe / Resubscribe):
A monthly subscription is $19.99 USD and renews each month automatically until you cancel it.
Annual subscriptions are $199.99 USD and do NOT renew automatically.
FSA Research Patrons pay $299.00 and have an opportunity to schedule an FSA Recovery Consultation with me and receive a 20% discount, in addition to receiving my Substack’s paid subscriber benefits. Note: The FSA consultation must be scheduled during that year.
Q: Will you be raising your prices and if so, will I be notified first?
A: I raise my prices on occasion but your subscription fee will NOT be raised as long as you don’t cancel (or let your subscription expire) and then resubscribe. My most recent price change occurred in June 2025. My prices increase as my paid content and paid features increase.
Q: Do you offer free trials?
A: No, sorry. Our community members value their privacy and subscribers on free trials can be disruptive to those who are committed to co-creating a safe, supportive online community. If you need financial assistance, please reach out to me to discuss.
NOTE: I do offer Gift Certificates (monthly or annual).
Q: Can I subscribe as a paid subscriber to support your FSA research and adult survivor advocacy efforts without participating in your Community events?
A: Absolutely - and I’m always grateful when subscribers choose to support my FSA work in this way!
Q: What if I can’t afford a paid subscription?
A: I offer a great deal of my content for free, including public posts and Livestream collaborations. Although I do not offer prospective members ‘comps’ on new subscriptions, I DO have a Helping Hands Fund on Ko-Fi. Donations I receive there are used for current subscribers who need help continuing their subscription for a month (sometimes more) due to running into financial difficulties. Current subscribers can email or Direct Message me here to inquire about this fund.
Managing Your Subscription
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: Substack has a ‘no refund’ policy on their subscriptions. However, I can override this, at my discretion. Therefore, do be sure to reach out to me via an email or Direct Message here on Substack before or right after you unsubscribe so we can discuss your specific situation regarding a possible refund.
Q: How do I cancel my paid subscription? Can I just unsubscribe from your emails?
A: Unsubscribing from receiving my emails will NOT cancel your paid subscription. To cancel your monthly subscription, navigate to your Substack account settings. Within your Subscriptions, locate the publication you wish to unsubscribe from and click on "To cancel your paid subscription, click here". On the next page, you can either pause your subscription or click "Cancel Subscription" to completely terminate it. Please note that per Substack, ANNUAL subscriptions can NOT be refunded if cancelled early. If you believe that your situation qualifies you for a full or a pro-rated refund, simply email me or Direct Message me here to discuss.
Q: I'm not receiving your emails in my Inbox. What should I do?
A: If you didn’t receive your Welcome email or it went to a different folder, you'll want to 'Whitelist' my Substack's email address. Instructions for whitelisting are provided in the Welcome email (you can read again here: https://familyscapegoathealing.substack.com/p/new-paid-subscribers-please-read. You’ll likely find my emails in your ‘Promotions’ folder if you have Gmail; just move my email to your ‘Primary’ folder and click on ‘Yes’ when Gmail asks if you want my emails to go to your primary inbox in the future.
Q: How do I ensure I receive all of your content?
A: To receive content via both email and push notifications, go to 'Settings' (via your profile) and 'Notifications' and toggle on 'Both'. If only push notifications are enabled (for the Substack mobile app), you won't receive posts via email.
Q: How do I adjust my profile settings, including my username and notification preferences?
A: To adjust your profile settings, including your username and notification preferences, click on your profile avatar (the colored circle) and then 'Settings'. Alternatively, you can visit https://substack.com/settings (you may need to sign in).