Introduction
Parental alienation can be defined as a phenomenon where a parent turns the child against the other parent with no reasonable cause. Parental alienation can be a very painful and lonely process for the targeted parent especially if he/she is an alienated parent. However, through assistance from professionals, many of the targeted parents have gone on to regain custody of their children in the future. In this article, the reader will find information about how to identify parental alienation, its consequences, and where to turn to if the parent considers himself a victim.
Signs of Parental Alienation
PARENTS ARTICLE: How to Know if You’re a Targeted Parent
You may be a targeted parent of parental alienation if:You may be a targeted parent of parental alienation if:
– Your child just starts avoiding you for unimportant or fake reasons
– Your child uses words to talk to you in a way that appears to be from your ex rather than what they have experienced themselves
– Your ex-spouse is overly involved, intrusive, or even excludes you from the child’s life.
– Your child exhibits some of the following behaviors:- Your child exhibits some of the following behaviors:
– Erasing loving feelings that they once had for you
– It is a common situation when one of the parents is viewed as completely bad while the other one is seen as a completely good person.
– Being unable to have normal thoughts where one is ambivalent or has different “shades of grey” about one’s parents
– Relocating accusations about you that might have been memorized
If several of these apply then it is possible that parental alienation is happening and professional advice should be sought. The consequences can be dramatic, particularly if the process of alienation lasts for a long time.
Parental Alienation: Its Nature, Prevalence and Impact
In the research, it was found out that when children are severely parental alienation from a parent, they are likely to have psychiatric problems and other social problems both in the present and in the future.
Effects linked to parental alienation include:Effects linked to parental alienation include:
– Low self-esteem and self-acceptance
– Lack of trust
– Depression
– Substance abuse
– Anxiety
– Lack of empathy
Another adverse effect of social manipulation and lack of a loving parent for children is that they fail to develop in terms of morality and emotion. However, these negative effects can be alleviated if it is possible to restore the relationship.
Where to Seek Help
Education and Peer Support
As a first step, education and peer support can help arm you with knowledge on effectively responding to alienation while coping with this difficult situation:As a first step, education and peer support can help arm you with knowledge on effectively responding to alienation while coping with this difficult situation:
– Specifically, gain knowledge on typical behaviors and strategies that an alienating parent demonstrates through reading books or articles on parental alienation. At least, knowing the usual strategies can guide an individual on how to react appropriately so as not to be activated.
– Contact other parents with similar experiences in the local area as well as on social networking sites such as FACEBOOK. The opportunity to discuss the situation with other people who fight similar battles can make it easier to understand that you are not alone.
Mental Health Counseling
Dealing with the crisis of parental alienation also frequently requires professional help from a mental health care provider. A counselor can help you:A counselor can help you:
– Process through feelings of loss, fury and hopelessness, which people suffering from alienation experience
– The second goal is to cultivate responses to your child’s rejection that do not abandon them and do not escalate rejection due to anger or disappointment.
– Find out how you might be inadvertently keeping yourself alienated
– Get support and learn how to cope with what happened to you
– Obtain information about your family circumstances that will help you.
Legal Intervention
In such extreme cases, the law may be necessary to safeguard the relationship and force your ex to cease such alienating behaviors. Legal routes open to you include:Legal routes open to you include:
– Letter from lawyer: Instead, have a lawyer write a letter to your ex stating that their actions may be considered as parental alienation.
– Court mandates therapy: To have court order co-parenting therapy or parent/child reunification therapy
– Change custody: In extreme cases, have the court grant you primary physical custody so that the child cannot be alienated.
And even if you don’t wish to diminish all or some of your ex’s custody rights, showing that you are deadly earnest about seeking a legal remedy can cure some of the more malignant examples of alienation in certain situations.
Parent/Child Reunification Therapy
Alternatively, to assist in rebuilding the relationship, your child could see a therapist with experience in parental alienation. Their goals are to:
– Assist your child in challenging and sorting out the tricks of the alienating parent
– Help and facilitate the process of building a new, positive relationship with the child and you
This kind of specialized therapy has also been effective in helping even teenager and adult children who have been cut off from a parent for years to restore their relations.
Helping Your Child
Building Positive Interactions
Even if reunification therapy may not be feasible yet, never cease to hope that you may be able to reconnect again. Whenever possible:
– Simply be present at your child’s activities and events just to silently encourage them.
– Make and write cards/letters that will show them you still care and want to reconcile if possible – Do not speak ill of the other parent
– If the other parent would permit it, offer to partake in a family therapy session with your child.
It takes time to build positive interactions as well as to show unbroken love for a child whenever it is possible to do so to sow seeds in order to help bring the relationship back to life when the child is older or becomes more distanced from the alienating parent.
Conclusion
Parental alienation is a traumatic form of abuse, which deprives children of a loving parent and interferes with their psychological growth. However, even after years of no contact, such parents have been able to re-establish positive relationships with their child as long as they were to employ the right combination of support strategies discussed in this paper. Through these methods: education, counseling, legal actions, tolerance, and welcome arms each time possible, understand that it is possible to mend the relationship in due time.