Two years ago, my ex husband and I separated and filed for divorce.  He used my past history of mental illness against me even though I was on medication and seeing my doctors regularly, in order to obtain temporary custody of our two children.  He also forced me out of the house, kept my car and drained our joint bank account, what made things worse was that I was to have no physical contact with my two children who I had helped raise.  Well, flash forward to today, I am now living in a small rent controlled apartment without my kids.  Their father, the one who won sole custody with me only having visitation shot himself in an apparent suicide but now department of child services has custody of my children and they live with their grandmother.  Only recently did my children and I start family therapy and the kids especially my son are still angry with me over things they've been told by their father and grandmother about me or things they remember happening while I was living with them.  I just want to have dcs off my back, they arent helping me re establish a good relationship with my children.  Has anyone been in a similar situation?  I've talked to my lawyer about it and she thinks I don't have much of a case against dcs when it comes to getting custody of my children.  So is the only other option to have my ex mil deemed legal guardian of the children so dcs will leave me and my family alone?