Understanding and Managing Parental Alienation

Janet Haines is a psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in private clinical practice. She has extensive experience in matters involving psychology and family law, including acting as a single expert for the Family Law Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court. Mandy Matthewson is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and a clinical psychologist in private practice. She is the lead researcher in the Family and Interpersonal Relationships Research Lab at UTAS and Chair of the Parental Alienation Study Group’s Research Committee. Marcus Turnbull is a senior partner specialising in family law, including child support and de facto relationship matters. Marcus is a child representative in the child protection jurisdiction and an independent children’s lawyer in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court of Australia. Currently, Marcus is the Tasmanian representative of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, the Chair of the Family Law Practitioners’ Association of Tasmania, and member of the executive of the Australian Institute of Family Lawyers and Mediators.

List of tables

Preface

Part One: The nature of parental alienation

1. What is parental alienation?

2. The great syndrome debate

3. Processes underlying parental alienation

4. Parental alienation as a mental disorder

5. Parental alienation as a form of family violence

Part Two: The alienated family

6. Alienating parents

7. Targeted parents

8. Alienated children

9. Other family members

10. Outside forces

Part Three: Assessment of parental alienation

11. Assessing alienating parents

12. Assessing targeted parents

13. Assessing alienated children

14. Assessing dysfunctional family interaction patterns

Part Four: The alienated family: A legal perspective

15. Parental alienation in the courts

16. Parental alienation and parenting dispute evaluations

Part Five: Intervention with alienated families

17. The need for intervention

18. Family therapy and beyond

19. Individual therapy with each family member

Part Six: Identifying parental alienation

20. A decision-making process

21. Where to from here?

Index