Alienation

January 30, 2017

Sadly, alienation seems to be present in so many situations. An all too common scenario at separation involves a hurt parent either enlisting the children as allies and/or using them to get back at the other parent. Whatever the reason, the result is a foregone conclusion; the children end up damaged.
I have had a few “success” stories (where I was acting for the alienated parent), where the alienation has been addressed and overcome. In one, on the eve of trial the parties agreed to adjourn the trial on condition that, among other things, the mother agree to allow the father to attend counseling with his son on a weekly basis. The counselor was authorized to report back to the judge as to the progress of counseling and to make any ongoing recommendations as to access. Over several years (yes, several), the father rebuilt his damaged relationship with his son, who started to understand and appreciate his mother’s destructive involvement in his relationship with his father.
In another very difficult case, we obtained an order from the court allowing my client to attend a reunification program with the child, and for there to be no contact with the alienating parent upon my client’s return from the program.