THE PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME AND "PARENTAL ALIENATION"

There are some who use the term parental alienation instead of parental alienation syndrome. Generally, these are individuals who know of the existence of the parental alienation syndrome but want to avoid using it because it may be considered in some circles to be "politically incorrect." But they are basically describing the same clinical entity. There are others who will use the term parental alienation syndrome but strictly avoid mentioning my name in association with it, lest they be somehow tainted. Unfortunately, the substitution of the term parental alienation for parental alienation syndrome can only result in confusion. Parental alienation is a more general term, whereas the parental alienation syndrome is a very specific subtype of parental alienation. Parental alienation has many causes, e.g., parental neglect, abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual), abandonment, and other alienating parental behaviors. All of these behaviors on the part of a parent can produce alienation in the children. The parental alienation syndrome is a specific subcategory of parental alienation that results from a combination of parental programming and the child's own contributions, and it is almost exclusively seen in the context of child-custody disputes. It is this particular combination that warrants the designation parental alienation syndrome. Changing the name of an entity because of political and other unreasonable considerations generally does more harm than good.

Richard A. Gardner, M.D.

THE PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME AND "PARENTAL ALIENATION" by Richard A. Gardner.

Parental Rights Needs Help in Your State

Parental Rights Needs Help in Your State

It is January, and that means State legislatures are (or soon will be) gearing up again. Several of these State bodies will be considering resolutions calling on the U.S. Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the States for ratification.

A few states which will or may introduce such resolutions include California, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia. ParentalRights.org stands ready to supply sample wording and other resources for any state that may wish to consider such a measure.

As a result, we would like to urge you this week to investigate your state legislature. Here’s all we’d ask you to do:

Action Item

• Visit our States Watch page and click on your State to see if a parental rights resolution has already been introduced in your legislature. (As of this email, only Virginia and Hawaii are definites.)
• Visit your state legislature’s website to find and write down the contact information for your state lawmakers.
• If there is already a resolution in your state, contact your lawmakers and urge them to support that resolution for the sake of parents, families, and the rights of your particular state.
• If there is not already a resolution in your state, contact your lawmakers and urge them to champion such a resolution. Tell them ParentalRights.org would welcome contact from them, and we would be happy to provide them with sample language from which such a resolution can be written. You might even offer to contact us on their behalf and get that information for them!
• Remember to follow up in a couple of weeks to make sure your efforts are moving things forward. Many state legislatures won’t be convened for long, so time is of the essence.

Join the Network Click here to sign up for this weekly newsletter and/or action alerts regarding parental rights.

Amendment Cosponsors To date we have 129 cosponsors in the U.S. House and 6 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate.

Become a Member Your gift of just $25 or more will support our on-going efforts, and we'll send 2 decals to recognize your donation.

View This Email Online In case there are updates or you have trouble viewing this properly, you can view it online here.

PAS: 3 Keys To Healing Parental Alienation

PAS: 3 Keys To Healing Parental Alienation

Watch this video on howcast.com

02:56 - 1 year ago

Healing parental alienation is a mending most people do in private, if at all. Here are some tips to facilitate your healing process.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1666654349795459260#

PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME - IS A DSM MENTAL DIAGNOSIS ON THE WAY?

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Eric S. Solotoff

PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME - IS A DSM MENTAL DIAGNOSIS ON THE WAY?

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We have blogged in the past about parental alienation and "Parental Alienation Syndrome." There was an excellent article in US News and World Report on line posted on October 29, 2009. To read the article, click here. To view some of our prior posts on this topic, click here and here.

The article discusses a movement afoot to add "parental alienation" to the next addition of the DSM (ie. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The new edition is scheduled to be published in 2012.

While there appears to be little debate on whether parental alienation in both subtle and not so subtle forms goes on, there is a debate as to whether it represents a mental illness. On top of that, there is concern that certain opposition to visiting with a parent could either be age appropriate (eg. a teenager being oppositional) or otherwise justified. The people of this view are concerned that making parental alienation a mental illness could be invoked by an abusive parent to gain visitation with a child that has good reason to oppose contact.

No matter where you stand on the debate as to whether parental alienation is a mental illness, it is clear that alienating behavior in whatever form, big or small, cannot be good for the children that are exposed to it.

Tags: Custody, Essex County DIvorce Attorneys, Essex Fells Divorce Attorneys, Livingston Divorce Attorneys, Maplewood Divorce Attorneys, Millburn Divorce Attorneys, Roseland Divorce Attorneys, Short Hills Divorce Attorneys, South Orange Divorce Attorneys, parental alienation, parental alienation syndrome, parenting time, visitation

Citizens who support Prop. 8 must defend Constitution because attorney general refuses

Why anyone is surprised about Jerry Brown is a mystery.

An attorney general of a state refusing to defend his own constitution?

Here is a man who refuses to defend a father's or a mother's rights to equal or joint custody of their own children in compliance with the California constitution is playing politics with children's futures. Single-parent homes are the single greatest breeding grounds for crime in every state, so why is this Chief Law Enforcement Officer more concerned about gay-marriage and not heterosexual marriage?

Jerry Brown is pretty gutless,and is pandering for a future run at the governor's office again, or maybe a California Senator's job?

QUEERLY BELOVED

Elected officials bail on U.S. marriage law

Citizens who support Prop. 8 must defend Constitution because attorney general refuses

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Posted: January 09, 2010
10:15 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

California Attorney General Jerry Brown

In a case with implications for the entire country, California's Proposition 8 defining marriage as between one man and one woman goes on trial Monday with only private citizens speaking up for the voter-passed constitutional amendment – because state officials have refused to defend it.

Much is riding on the case of Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, for the lawsuit is petitioning a federal court to overturn not just a law, but a constitutional amendment passed by the people and affirmed by the state's Supreme Court. A victory for same-sex marriage advocates in the case could set a precedent for federal courts to overturn every law and amendment in the country currently protecting the traditional definition of marriage.

And yet, though Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Attorney General Jerry Brown are named as defendants in the suit, both have refused to act in defense of the amendment, leaving it up to the people of California to take a stand for their constitution on their own.

In June, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California verified Brown's abandonment of the case and therefore permitted quick-acting attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of ProtectMarriage.com, the group that sponsored the amendment campaign, to intervene in the case and take up defense where Brown refused.

At the time, ADF-allied attorney Andrew Pugno stated, "This ruling designating us to defend Proposition 8 reflects the unfortunate fact that, if left up to state officials, the will of the people would not be defended at all."

"This case is as much about whether our government is of, by, and for the people as it is about marriage," ADF Senior Counsel Brian Raum said in a statement released this week. "Just imagine how it would change our democracy if every state constitutional amendment could be eliminated by small groups of wealthy activists. It would no longer be America, but a tyranny of elitists."

ADF points out that the lawsuit, originally brought by two men and two women in same-sex relationships, has been backed by Hollywood-area public relations firm that frequently represents celebrities and their causes.

"In America, we should respect and uphold the right of a free people to make social policy choices through the democratic process," added Raum. "If a handful of activists can void a constitutional amendment adopted by 7 million Californians, we have forfeited the very core of the American democratic system – especially in this case, where the people of California affirmed something that predates America itself."

The case has now reached its trial date and will be heard beginning Monday, Jan. 11, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. The trial is reportedly expected to last two to three weeks.

"Monday, the people of California go on trial," Pugno added. "Our legal team is working as hard as possible to win this trial, but we are prepared to fight with every ounce of energy all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary."

YouTube coverage – openness or intimidation?

Complicating the case is a decision by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker approving the trial to be videotaped and broadcast over the Internet on the popular YouTube site.

Though many state courts allow trials to be taped with a judge's consent, the cameras have been historically prohibited during federal trials. But on Dec. 17, the Judicial Council of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals approved the nation's first pilot program for broadcasting nonjury civil trials, paving the way for Walker's decision.

"This certainly is a case that has sparked widespread interest," Walker reasoned. "I think it's worth attempting in a case of this nature and of this public interest."

The judge added, "I've always thought that if the public could see how the judicial process works, they would take a somewhat different view of it."

Defenders of Proposition 8, however, have blasted the decision, concerned that witnesses may be intimidated from honest testimony if they know their faces and words will be distributed widely to the public, where some homosexual activists have already engaged in public harassment, vandalism and even violence toward Proposition 8 proponents.

"The knowledge that you're testifying to untold thousands or millions ... can cause some witnesses to become more timid," said Michael Kirk, attorney for the sponsors of Proposition 8. "The risk is just unacceptable."

The Bay City News Service reports Judge Walker did, however, turn down requests to televise the proceedings live, preferring instead to broadcast over the Internet after a delay, in order for "the process to be completely under the court's control."

Buz Rico, the court's technical advisor, told the San Francisco Chronicle the videotape will be posted on a special YouTube channel set up for the court as soon as possible, which might be later the same day or the next morning.

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Related offers:

"The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"

"The Gay Agenda: It's Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation"

"See how Americans and their Constitution have been betrayed by judge-made law"

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Previous stories:

Federal judge tosses lawsuit against Prop 8

Private lawyers to defend California Constitution

Battle over 'gay' weddings far from over

Iowa, Vermont 'marriage' decisions 'aberrations'

Traditional-marriage supporters buoyed by arguments

Lawmakers: Court should reject voters' decision

Allies rally behind Prop 8 in judicial battle

California AG attacks own constitution

Supremes to review 'gay' lawsuits against Prop. 8

Watch sparks fly as 'gay' activist mob swarms Christians

'Gays' demand endorsement of lifestyle

School holds surprise 'Gay' Day for kindergartners

School takes 1st-graders to see lesbian teacher wed

'Gay' marriage battle goes to kindergarten

'Bride,' 'groom' can't marry in California

County surrenders in same-sex marriage war

Counties to Supreme Court on 'gay' marriage: Drop dead

'Gay' rights group to Supremes: Don't let people vote

It's voters vs. black robes in November

County clerks urged to ignore same-sex marriage ruling

'Gay' marriage ruling to spark lawsuits nationwide

Whoa! Marriage laws aren't changed – yet

Supremes asked to give voters a chance

City clerk suing not to wed 'gays'

California battle over same-sex marriage not over

Black robes trash traditional marriage

California's 'judicial fiat' condemned – by judge

Plan pushes for last step in eliminating marriage

Court asked to protect 1-man, 1-woman marriage

Pro-marriage groups: 'Don't trust courts!'

Gov. Arnold 'terminates' man-and-woman marriage plan

Gov. Arnold says 'marriage' can be terminated

California handing out marriage privileges

'Marriage' to become museum piece

Homosexual marriage minces west to California

Court will decide if California voters were right

Vote or pay us damages, group tells lawmakers

7 more states say no to 'gay marriage'

Same-sex rulings will 'echo' across U.S.

Senate rejects 'gay marriage' ban

California Senate OKs 'gay' marriage

Mayor faces trial for same-sex marriages

60% of polled Americans: No homosexual marriage

It's 'gay' marriage in Massachusetts

Poll: Massachusetts opposes 'gay' marriage

'Gay' marriage ruling's consequences 'dire'

'Gay' marriage ban struck down in Massachusetts

Bush to block 'gay' marriage

Poll suggests backlash on 'gay' issues

Court strikes down Texas sodomy law

Supreme Court hears 'right to sodomy' case

High court to give 'gays' their own 'Roe'?

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Drew Zahn is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.

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After divorce fathers excluded from families

After divorce, fathers too often excluded from parenting
By Jason Aulicino

Appeared in print: Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009

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According to the Strengthening Families Act of 2003,

“Nearly 24 million children in the United States, or 34 percent of all such children, live apart from their biological father.

Forty percent of children who live in households without a father have not seen their father in at least one year.

And 50 percent of such children have never visited their father’s home.”

The Census Bureau, in 2006, found that five of every six custodial parents are mothers (83.8 percent). One in six are fathers (16.2 percent), and 37.9 percent of fathers have no access or visitation rights.

Simplified, the result of divorce for the majority of children is a fatherless home.

If you are divorced and are the noncustodial parent, then you probably have experienced first-hand the inequity that exists in divorce and child custody cases. Restrictive visitation rules — or parenting plans, as they are now called — often accompany sole custody awards regardless of circumstance. Many status quo parenting plans are not based on a presumption of shared parenting, nor do they promote a father’s presence in a child’s life after divorce.

A meta-analysis of 33 studies found that “Children living in joint physical custody arrangements had better emotional, behavioral and general adjustment on multiple objective measures, and better academic achievement, when compared to children living in the sole physical custody of mothers.”

Additionally, for parents, and more commonly fathers, who are noncustodial parents and want to have a close, loving, supportive and active role in their children’s lives, a mother’s sole custodial award results in a near impossible visitation schedule and a set of circumstances keeping them from being anything other than a mere “visitor” to their children.

In a majority of cases, sole custody can hardly be justified as promoting the “best interest of the child.”

The conditions for noncustodial parents are deplorable, marginalizing, and often create circumstances that push them out of their children’s lives, creating a preponderance of fatherless homes. In addition, economic hardships, an inability to see the children regularly due to restrictive parenting plans, and the sole custodian’s intentional interference create an unequal balance in the children’s lives. Statistics clearly show the result is the noncustodial parent’s difficulty in maintaining a close relationship with the child.

A national study found that 77 percent of noncustodial fathers are not able to visit their children, as ordered by the court, due to “visitation interference” perpetuated by the custodial parent.

Two other peer-reviewed studies indicate that 40 percent of mothers reported that they had interfered with the noncustodial father’s visitation on at least one occasion to punish the ex-spouse. And approximately 50 percent of mothers see no value in the father’s continued contact with his children.

Because it is true that sole custody is overwhelmingly awarded to the mother, a father must often take a plea-bargain approach to gain substantial parenting time and avoid a restrictive status quo visitation plan. Often fathers must willingly forfeit custody through an out-of-court settlement, even when they believe it is not in the best interest of their children, in order to avoid a worse ruling by the court. This is happening to loving, able and willing fathers who would otherwise be spending time with their children.

If the United States wants fathers to be more involved in their children’s lives, then 24 million children’s living circumstances cannot be ignored.

In addition to promoting a father’s involvement, legal policy must be altered to encourage shared parenting. Only when the laws protect a father’s relationship with his children will society begin to accept that fathers are equally capable of raising a child. Then, and only then, a father will have no need to “win” sole custody of his children to protect his relationship with them.

If a sole custody presumption promotes a father’s presence, then it fails, and it fails big time. We absolutely do not want to promote an impression that a father’s financial obligations through child support are more important for the child’s welfare than the actual contact a child has with that parent.

It is undeniably in the child’s best interest to have both parents raise, provide for, and have the ability to make decisions regarding the upbringing of a child, if they are considered fit to do so.

Perhaps now it is time for a shared-parenting standard to become law rather than just a social movement. Today, millions of children in the United States depend on it.

Jason Aulicino of Eugene (DivorcedChildrensRights@gmail.com), a father and an advocate for divorced children’s rights, is a graduate student in Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon School of Law.

Posted by Peter G. HIll at 5:32 AM

Thanks to Peter Hill for posting this here:
Communicationhelper: After divorce fathers excluded from families.

Parental Alienation Resources - from Women's Divorces

Parental Alienation Resources

I assembled the following parental alienation resources to help parents who are dealing with an ex who is isolating them from their child's life. While there are no easy answer or solutions, these resources can help you understand what is happening and give you tips on what you can do. Below, you will find books on the subject, websites dedicated to PAS, and articles of interest.

Books on Parental Alienation:

Written by Dr. Richard A. Warshak, this book offers guidance to parents whose vindictive exes use the child as a weapon and systematically destroy the once loving bond to isolate and remove the other parent from the child's life.	Written by Douglas Darnall to help parents understand the effects of your actions on your children. This book recognizes the subtle causes of alienation, as well as the characteristics of alienation, symptoms of alienators, and gives the reader exercises to help get a grasp on your own situation.
Written by Amy J.L. Baker, this book describes the long-term impact of parental alienation based on her research of adult who were victims of PAS. It offers strategies for victims and hope for dealing with the long-term effects. Highly suggested reading.	This book features clinical, legal, and research perspective from the major leaders in the field of parental alienation, such as Richard A Gardner and Janelle Burrill. It has over 450 pages that address the effects of PAS, the role of the judicial system, and issues surrounding reconciliation.
Written by Stanley S. Clawar, this book provides objective methods for establishing that a child parental alienation. Based on a ten-year study of 700 cases in the authors' counseling and evaluative work, this book equips you with the understanding and practical direction needed to protect the child and the targeted parent from the results of brainwashing.	This is the original analysis of Parental Alienation Syndrome by Dr. Richard A. Gardner, this book should be an essential reference for all professionals who work in the field of family litigation. While it's now out of print, you can usually buy a used copy at Amazon.
Written by Michael Jefferies with Dr. Joel Davies. This book takes you into the everyday life and challenges of an alienated parent. From the bewilderment and grief as the author watches his son being turned against him to his frustration with the slow-moving legal system unwilling to step in and do anything.	Written by Pamela Richardson, is the true story of her struggle with parental alienation, from her battles with the legal system to her heartbreak of being isolated from her son. Painful, but powerful reading.

Parental Alienation Websites

www.nancm.org - The National Association of Non-Custodial Moms is dedicated to providing a community of emotional support to Non-Custodial Moms through the provision of educational and supportive resources.

www.amyjlbaker.com - Dr. Amy J.L. Baker, Ph.D. is a developmental psychologist and author of "Adult children of parental alienation syndrome: Breaking the ties that bind, W.W. Norton, April 2007. She has also written "Beyond the high road: Responding to 17 parental alienation strategies without compromising your morals or harming your child."

Solutions4PAS.com was established by Reena Sommer, Ph.D. M.Sc. (Family Studies), Ph.D.(Psychology & Family Studies) and has an large amount of free parental alienation syndrome articles and resources for parents facing PAS.

http://www.warshak.com/ - Dr. Warshak is generally considered one of the world’s leading authorities on parental alienation, and this website was developed by him as a resource for parents, attorneys, evaluators, and therapists. His book, "Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond From a Vindictive Ex" is considered a classic resource for parents in conflict and the professionals who help them.

http://home.att.net/~rawars/pasrefnote.htm - Richard A. Gardner, M.D. introduced the term parental alienation syndrome and pioneered its study. This is a list of references on parental alienation syndrome, a list of legal citations, a list of professional conferences on parental alienation syndrome, and a list of lectures that Dr. Gardner had been invited to deliver on parental alienation syndrome. Parental alienation syndrome references.

The Rachel Foundation in Texas is a unique organization offering providing educational reintegration programs and supportive housing for parents and children whose familial bonds have been damaged or broken.

http://www.parentalalienation.com/index.html - Helpful articles for custodial parent and non-custodial parent, step-parents, and others who have children, are involved in custody or visitation disputes, or have difficulties with shared parenting or dealing with an ex.

http://www.paawareness.com/ - Raising Awareness of Parental Alienation and Hostile Aggressive Parenting with a wide array of articles and parental alienation resources.

http://www.stopparentalalienation.org/index.htm is a non-profit company that exists under the umbrella of Breakthrough Parenting Services, Inc. They have a team of renowned experts on the subject of parental alienation presenting articles and parental alienation resources to help parents who are the victims of a hostile parent.

www.theleepasfoundation.org - Founded for the awareness and education of Parental Alienation Syndrome. This non-profit organization is dedicated to the emotional and psychological well being of the children and families effected by P.A.S.

www.parentalalienation.ca is an extensive site with a lot of information, articles, and videos about PAS and what your options are if you are a victim.

Parental Alienation Articles on This Site:

Parents Conflict Affects Children What's a kid to do when parents hate each other?
Are You An Alienating Parent? - Without meaning to, you may be undermining your child's relationship with the other parent.
Parental Alienation - Recognizing the behavior of a child that is experiencing parental alienation.
Parental Alienation Syndrome - What happens when one parent deliberately damages, and in some cases destroys, the previously healthy loving relationship between the child and the child’s other parent.
Coping as an Alienated Parent - Keeping your sanity when your child refuses all attempts at contact is hard work, not to mention dealing with the insane system called Family Court. These tips can help you deal with the unreal world of parental alienation.

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Heisman Trophy Winner Winner Reminds Fathers of Their Children’s Unconditional Love

Heisman Trophy Winner Winner Reminds Fathers of Their Children’s Unconditional Love

January 4, 2010 · Filed Under Sports, Young Adults, college, football, inspiration, inspire, motivation, parents, self help, sports camps

MARK INGRAM LEARNS FROM FATHER’S MISTAKES

“My father has been a great influence on my life, and I love him to death.” Those are the words from Heisman Trophy Winner Mark Ingram, of the University of Alabama at a news conference after his win. He reminded fathers of the importance of their influence in a child’s life, despite mistakes. He also reminded sons and daughters of the importance of forgiving parents.

His father, Mark Ingram, Sr, a former Super Bowl star himself for the New York Giants, was incarcerated on bank fraud and money-laundering charges. He watched his son’s big win on a prison television a few miles away.

Mark, Jr. made it known that he still has a great relationship with his father. In his acceptance speech he said, “The fact I could do this for my family was real special for me, and for my teammates and my coaches and everyone involved in my life.” He added. “It’s really important to me that I can do it for them.” There was no question for those who know Mark Jr., he was thinking of his father.

“I talk to my dad about two or three times a week,” says Mark. Jr. “He’s real proud of me. He’s excited and he’s doing fine.

“I’m sure it’s frustrating for him that he can’t be here, but it is what it is. You have to keep living and you have to learn from your mistakes. He’s a better man for what he’s been through, and I’m a better man because I’ve learned from stuff he’s been through. I know he’s here in spirit and I love him and he loves me, too, and that’s all that matters.

According to Project Fatherhood (children’s Institute) father absence is a fact of life for about a third of American children (about 25 million of the 75 million kids in the United states).

Many fathers who are separated from their children because they leave home over financial challenges, incarceration, divorce, or those who become homeless, feel their children will not forgive them, so they refuse contact. However, Mark Jr., who learned from his father’s mistakes still heeds his advice. On the night of his acceptance, he spoke to his father, “He told me to enjoy it, have fun, and live for the moment.”

As fathers we have to remember how important it is to express our love for our children, whether it is verbal, or non-verbal. We need to communicate as much as humanely possible and put the past pain, resentment and anger behind us.

Walter Jackson is a motivational speaker and the author of “Sporting the Right Attitude: Lessons Learned in a Troubled Family,” a finalist in the National USA BOOK NEWS “Best Book Awards” in two categories sports autobiographies and youth issues. Visit: www.SportingtheRightAttitude.net

Tags: attitude, BCS, family, Heisman, Heisman Trophy, inspiration, inspire, Mark Ingram, motivation, National Championship, self help athletes, sporting, Sports, superstar athletes, University of Alabama, youth