• Contents


• About the Authors


• 1. Introduction


• 1.1 The Prevalence of Alienation


• 1.2 Prevalence of Alienation in Community Samples


• 1.3 Increase in the Number of Alienation Cases


• 1.4 Summary


• 2. Definitions and Debates


• 2.1 Historical Context


• 2.2 The Difficulty in Defining Alienation


• 2.3 Affinity and Alignment


• 2.4 The Role of the Adversarial System and Professional Advisors


• 2.5 Alienation Within the Context of High-Conflict Separations


• 2.6 Distinguishing Alienation from Justified Rejection


• 2.7 Mixed or Hybrid Cases


• 2.8 Dynamics in Alienation Cases


• 2.9 Alienation and False Allegations of Abuse


• 2.10 Debates about Parental Alienation as a Diagnosis or Condition


• 2.11 Summary


• 3. Risk Factors and Indicators Involved in Alienation


• 3.1 Extent and Limitations of Research on Alienation


• 3.2 Current Evidence on the Social and Psychological Factors Associated with Alienation


• 3.3 Interparental Factors Following Separation or Divorce


• 3.4 Factors of the Favored Parent


• 3.5 Factors of the Rejected Parent


• 3.6 Factors of the Child


• 3.7 Summary of Factors and Indicators


• 4. Assessment and Measurement Tools for Alienation


• 4.1 Clinical Judgment


• 4.2 Decision Trees and Assessment Protocols


• 4.3 Measurement Scales


• 4.4 Differentiating Levels of and Responses to Strained Parent-Child Relationships


• 5. Prognosis and Long Term Consequences of Untreated Alienation on Young Adults and Their Families


• 5.1 The Impact of Alienation on Children and Adults who were Alienated as Children


• 5.2 Spontaneous Reconciliation


• 5.3 When to Suspend Efforts or Letting Go


• 6. Prevention


• 6.1 Universal or Primary Prevention


• 6.2 Public Awareness


• 6.3 Selected or Secondary Prevention


• 6.4 Indicated or Tertiary Prevention


• 6.5 Summary


• 7. Interventions, Educational and Therapeutic


• 7.1 The Role of the Court in Educational and Therapeutic Interventions


• 7.2 Principles and Guidelines


• 7.3 Goals of Counseling


• 7.4 Treatment Modalities, Approaches and Strategies


• 7.5 Summary of Specific Interventions, Protocols or Approaches


• 7.6 Aftercare, Training, Accessibility and Costs of Interventions


• 7.7 Concluding Comments


• 8. Hearing the Voices of Children in Alienation Cases


• 8.1 Children's Stated Wishes: Clinical Perspectives


• 8.2 Children's Right of Participation


• 8.3 Children's Stated Wishes: Weight in the Courts


• 8.4 Methods for Courts Hearing the Views and Wishes of Children


• 8.5 Concluding Comments: Principles, Policies and Research


• 9. Legal Responses to Alienation and Contact Problems


• 9.1 Child's 'Rights,' Parental Duties and the Best Interests of the Child


• 9.2 The Role of Mental Health Experts in Resolving Alienation Cases


• 9.3 Enforcement issues and Judicial Remedies


• 9.4 Therapeutic Interventions and the Court Process


• 9.5 The Content of Agreements and Orders for Therapeutic Involvement


• 9.6 Adjusting Visitation and Interim Orders


• 9.7 Contempt of Court: Punitive Sanctions and Behavioral Conditions


• 9.8 Police Enforcement


• 9.9 Supervision of Contact


• 9.10 Award of Legal Fees


• 9.11 Joint Custody - Increasing Time in Care of Target Parent


• 9.12 Custody Reversal: an Option for Severe Cases


• 9.13 Suspension of Contact


• 9.14 Deciding Not to Enforce Contact Despite Alienation


• 9.15 Financial Penalties


• 9.16 Case Management - The Need for Judicial Control


• 9.17 Child Protection Agency Involvement


• 9.18 The Importance of Timely Legal Intervention


• 9.19 Conclusion: The Law as a Blunt but Necessary Instrument


• 10. Recommendations for Practice, Policy and Research


• References

Barbara Jo Fidler is a registered psychologist and accredited mediator in Ontario.
Nicholas Bala is a Professor of Law at Queen's University and a leading expert on issues related to children and families in the justice system.

Michael A. Saini is an Assistant Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto.

Children Who Resist Post-Separation Parental Contact is a critical, empirically based review of parental alienation that integrates the best research evidence with clinical insight from interviews with leading scholars and practitioners.