I frequently hear prospective or current clients telling me about how their soon-to-be-ex or former spouse is engaging in disparaging comments about them. I reassure them that taking the "high road," rather than acting "in kind," is the healthiest for the children. Normally, after the emotions of divorce begin to fade, so do the hurtful comments from one parent about the other. However, the parent engaging in the negative behavior may be purposefully encouraging a child to disengage with the other parent and/or denigrate the other parent. Typical methods include: badmouthing the parent, denying visitation rights through geographical relocation or other means, using the psychological threat of detachment, and withdrawing affection and other tactics. There reaches a point when the mere "bad mouthing" turns more serious and becomes Parental Alienation.
Parental Alienation is extremely complex and difficult to assess -- especially initially. Two very good resources may be The Florida Bar article by Michael Bone and Michael Walsh that come out in 1999. The other is Michael Bone's website that deals exclusively with Parental Alienation and the Florida Court system. I have worked with Dr. Bone on some rather difficult PAS cases and he is an absolute expert in his field! It should be specifically noted that in 2000, in Tampa, J. Michael Bone, Ph.D. was directly involved in a "Frye Hearing" as was Richard Gardner, M.D. along with Richard Warshack, Ph.D. The court ruled that PAS was accepted in the professional scientific community and did meet the Frye standard.
In a parental alienation situation when one parent uses tactics of hostility with a child, the dynamics of time-sharing changes dramatically. A child may act-out to prevent time-sharing with the "targeted" parent. A new time-sharing arrangement evaluation may be in the best future interests of the child. This may mean giving the targeted parent the most overnights, to offset the effects of PAS. Enlisting the advice of an expert, someone like Dr. Bone, well versed in this type of damaging behavior, can help a parent with an alienated child evaluate their options and pursue some therapeutic remedies. Equally as important is having legal counsel who has worked in this field and can help discuss various legal remedies.
It is vitally important that these matters are handled with extreme sensitivity, care and professionalism to ensure the best interests of the child. The welfare of children is of utmost importance to the law office of Anne E. Raduns, PA. Frequently, the children are forgotten as parents fight for child custody rights and wage child custody battles. The law office of Anne E. Raduns PA is a staunch advocate of protecting the best interests of children to develop stable, consistent relationships with the adults in their lives whenever possible.
Responsible parents have the right to have a positive, loving relationship with their children. And, children deserve to grow up in a psychologically healthy relationship with their parents. Too often Florida child support and time-sharing rights become the issues former spouses use to vent their anger and hostility. As research suggests, emotional dysfunction for the child can follow him or her far into their future relationships with others. The healthiest children grow up with two loving parents fully present in their lives, even if the parents are divorced. Divorce should not make either person any less of a parent!
If parental alienation has affected you, please call us to discuss your case or visit our website or call the office to schedule your initial consultation. We employ a client based approach, which means that we are selective in the cases we take so that we can be available to our clients. We spend time with you to thoroughly understand the facts of your case, so that we can provide you with a comprehensive and realistic legal evaluation. Our process begins with a half-hour low-cost consultation.
