Parental alienation affects more families than you may realize. So if you’ve been erroneously accused of substance abuse, physical or sexual abuse, or neglect, then you need to know that you’re not alone in pushing back against the parent who is trying to distance you from your child. But in order to put a stop to this vindictive behavior, you need to know how to recognize the signs and how to present your arguments to a judge.
Looking for the signs of parental alienation
It might seem easy to spot signs of parental alienation. After all, in many instances your child starts making wild and untrue allegations against you. But parental alienation can take more forms than simply feeding your child untrue information about you. An alienating parent might physically keep you away from your child, portray you as someone who doesn’t want the child to have fun, and condition the child to dislike your side of the family.
So, if your child is unfairly criticizing you, has unwavering support for his or her other parent, and is utilizing words and phrases that are inappropriate for his or her age, then you might want to dig a little further to see if parental alienation is occurring.
The effects of parental alienation
You might be upset to find out that your child’s other parent is feeding your child false or misleading information, but any child custody modification you might seek will focus on the child’s best interests. Therefore, you need to know what parental alienation does to a child. For some children, parental alienation has long-term consequences that can include low self-esteem, problems trusting others, social and emotional distancing, relationship problems, and even substance abuse. An increased risk of anxiety and depression may be attributable to parental alienation, too.
Proving your case
Parental alienation is misunderstood in the legal profession, even amongst judges. This can make it hard to show that parental alienation is occurring and that a custody modification is warranted. However, there are experts out there who can testify on your behalf, both educating the court and explaining how parental alienation has occurred in your situation and damaged your child. However, before you even get to that point, you need to make sure that you’re taking a legal approach that understands parental alienation and how to build evidence in support of it, all while developing compelling legal arguments.
Inform yourself through an upcoming panel discussion
Very few legal practitioners have this expertise. But the tides may be changing. On June 4, 2021, Ashish Joshi will be part of a panel discussion on parental alienation presented by the American Bar Association. Several topics will be covered, including the basics of parental alienation and how to identify it, as well as what role the court can play in parental alienation and how to present these cases to the court. Other topics related to parental alienation will be covered during the panel discussion. You can find those topics here. Hopefully by the end of the panel discussion you will walk away being much more informed about parental alienation and how to use the legal system to protect not only yourself, but more importantly your child.
Don’t be afraid to seek legal help
Parental alienation is a form of child abuse. It manipulates and programs your child into developing a bad and harmful relationship with you. Don’t simply sit back and let this happen to your child. Instead, take the aggressive and well informed legal action that you need to achieve the outcome that protects your child and your relationship with him or her. If you’d like to learn more, in addition to joining our panel discussion your can research our website further.