Miami Parental Alienation Attorneys

What Causes Parental Alienation?

Parental alienation is caused when the “favored” or “alienating” parent uses specific alienating behaviors that are aimed at pushing the child and/or children to reject their relationship with the “target” or “alienated” parent. Parental alienation can also be encouraged and promoted by surrogate alienators, such as family members, the new spouse of the “alienating” parent, family members of the “alienating” parent, or a close friend whom the “alienating” parent gives access to the child and/or children. The alienating behaviors are used by the “favored” or “alienating” parent, which may vary case by case, and are aimed at indoctrinating the child and/or children to dislike and/or fear the “target” or “alienated” parent.

How Parental Alienation Affects Children and Families

Parental alienation occurs when one parent convinces the child and/or children that the other parent is not trustworthy, lovable, or caring. As a result, the child and/or children reject their relationship with the other parent. These behaviors can negatively affect the “target” or “alienated” parent’s time-sharing and often damage and impede the child’s relationships with the “target” or “alienated” parent’s family members. The theory is that there are three levels of parental alienation: mild, moderate, and severe. The severity of the parental alienation is determined by the intensity of the child’s and/or children’s refusal to have contact with the “target” or “alienated” parent.

Parental Alienation vs. Estrangement

The essential feature of parental alienation is that the child and/or children’s rejection of the “alienated” parent is far out of proportion to anything that the parent has done to justify or explain the rejection. Said another way, the child’s and/or children’s rejection of the “alienated” parent is without legitimate justification. Conversely, if a child’s and/or children’s rejection of a parent is based upon a legitimate justification, such as physical abuse or severe neglect by that parent, it constitutes estrangement and not parental alienation.

Long-Term Effects of Parental Alienation

The potential long-term effects of parental alienation, which is equated to child abuse in the form of psychological maltreatment by experts in this field, may include: conflicts with parents, loneliness, memory loss, school dysfunction, conflict with peer relationships, anxiety, regressive behaviors, social identity problems, diminished attention span, heightened fantasy life, sibling conflict, lack of friends, increased technology use as an escape, feelings of isolation, psychosomatic disorder, diminished activity, poor executive functioning, disheveled living space, weight issues, eating disorders, poor eating habits, poor body image, sexual promiscuity, speech problems, substance abuse, sleep problems and depression.

How Courts Address Parental Alienation

When courts find evidence of parental alienation, counseling and other therapeutic tools, including programs specifically designed to treat parental alienation, are often recommended and/or ordered by the courts. The court’s primary goal is to promote the best interest of the child and/or children and repair the relationship between the alienated child and/or children with the “target” or “alienated” parent. If parental alienation is proven in a case, it can justify a post-judgment request for a modification of time-sharing and/or parental responsibility.