@deadgirl /futurestudent:
What sort of therapist is that (IE., religiously or xommunity-approved/linked to your religion, a friend of your parents, an official unrelated to your family/community, school-mandated…?) Is the therapist supposed to help you or “cure” you? What type of education does S/he have?
Has your therapist reported your parents? That’s mandatory and if s/he does you could become a ward of the state which means you won’t have to rely on your parents filling out the FAFSA.
If multiple instances of abuse were reported, what happened next? Try to document each instance - go to the school nurse or have a friend take you to the hospital and if alone make it clear you didn’t “fall dawn the stairs” - a lie only those who want to believe it will, as the hematomas from a fall and from being hit aren’t the same. Carry a little typed note in your sock or bra that states "I did NOT ‘fall down the stairs’ nor am I clumsy. Please help. " If your parents are there find a way to pass that paper to a nurse.
Take pictures and place them in an invisible safe on your phone. (Do not put any other type of picture there). If psychological abuse record whatever.
If nothing happened after the multiple complaints, do you know why? not enough proof/grounds? Did your parents for instance claim religious exemption (I know of abusive parents/spouses who tried to defend their family being black and blue to biblical entitlement for instance.) Were the calls not considered aeriosuky? Was any evidence inconclusive?
Protect your assets and money. (I can recall several instances of parents taking their kids’ financial aid refund, spending their kids’ work earnings, or creating credit cards in their names for instance.)
Now, as for college: with a 3.98 GPA, you’re bright. What’s your schedule this year?
Study systematically for the PSAT. With such a GPA, what you need now to “escape” is a top score. The last is one such possibility. Even if you don’t make NMF (it’s very hard in Maryland) a high score will help you.
For now, don’t confront your parents about finances for college or college in general. Make a plan in case they can’t or won’t help for college.
Do you have a sympathetic relative who can take you in of you’re locked out/kicked out at any point?
Keep your essential stuff (find it if necessary or make copies and replace) in a backpack along with some money in a zip lock, changes of clothes, a couple granola bars, and sentimentally important items. Entrust the backpack to a good friend if you don’t think it’s safe for you to keep it in your closet.