Parental Alienation Syndrome

Diagnosis & Practical Solutions

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Parental Alienation is Real. I know firsthand.

What is Parental Alienation and Parental Alienation Syndrome?

In succinct, clinical terms, Parental Alienation is a form of emotional or mental abuse where a parent manipulates their child into rejecting the other parent without justification. It often occurs during divorce or custody battles, but can also happen in intact families. Tactics used by the manipulating parent may include criticism, badmouthing, or creating false narratives about the other parent.

In Parental Alienation Syndrome, the child may then show hostility, fear, or indifference towards the targeted parent.

The longterm effects of parental alienation can be devastating to both parent and child.

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If you're here, you may be on the brink of a massive custody battle or clinical intervention. Such processes can typically cost 15-25k, just to get started. Worse, they seldom produce the result you need.

Amidst all the chaos and strife, remember, the most important thing is bolstering and maintaining the relationship with your child.

We can affordably assist you with:

  • Assessing your situation.
  • Determining a path forward.
  • Navigating the process of selecting professional staff should the need arise.
  • Creating a customized solution for you.

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Parental Alienation Vocabulary

It's important to define our terms.

"Parental alienation" focuses on how the alienating parent behaves toward the child and the targeted parent.

"Parental alienation syndrome" refers to the symptoms manifesting in the child’s behavior.

It is critical to understand a couple additional concepts:

1) Alienating Behavior may not necessarily take root in the child to cause parental alienation syndrome.

2) However, the below list of behaviors, by the child, and the alienating parent, are not comprehensive; there are conceivably many others and the science continues to evolve.

Behavior Examples of Parental Alienation

  • No recognition of Father's/Mother's day nor of the targeted parent's birthday.

  • Little to No flexibility with Parenting Time to accommodate the children's extracurricular interests or the targeted parent's plans.

  • Denying access to medical records and knowledge of medical/therapy appointments. 

  • Engaging in unapproved name change of the child.

  • Hiding/Encouraging potential identity issues or gender dysphoria.

  • Asking children to spy on the targeted parent.

  • Ascribing false and defamatory character traits or behavior to the targeted parent.

  • Involving the children in the details of legal or financial matters between the parents.

Behaviors Associated with Parental Alienation Syndrome

Parental alienation syndrome can be identified whenever there is documented evidence that a child has been exposed to one or more parental alienation strategies (Baker & Darnall, 2006) and/or brainwashing techniques (Clawar & Rivlin, 2013) and the exposure is the primary cause for the child to:

Engage in a “campaign of denigration against the target parent”

The child often present complaints in a litany, some trivial, many false or irrational.

Utilizes “frivolous rationalizations” to justify the denigration.

Meaning, the child’s reactions of hatred or disdain are unjustified and disproportionate to the circumstances they describe. They may claim to be fearful, but they do so easily and without typical fear reactions, and manifest two or more of the following attitudes and behaviors:

  • Lack of ambivalence

The child manifests all-or-none thinking, idealizing the alienating parent and devaluing the target parent.

  • Reflexive support for the alienating parent

The child immediately and automatically takes the alienating parent’s side in a disagreement.

  • Borrowed scenarios

The child makes rehearsed statements that are identical to those made by the alienating parent. Younger siblings may mimic what they have heard their older sibling say. They usually are unable to elaborate on the details of the events they allege.

  • Independent-thinker phenomenon

The child proudly states the decision to reject the target parent is his own, not influenced by the alienating parent.

  • Absence of guilt or remorse … for mistreatment of the target parent

The child may be oppositional, rude, disrespectful, and even violent toward the target parent, and shows little or no remorse for those behaviors.

  • Spread of the child’s animosity to the target parent’s extended family

Expressed feelings and hatred often include the extended family or friends of the target parent, even when the child has had little or no contact with them.

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