Most often, people think of parental alienation as physically withholding custody from the other parent; however, parental alienation can even occur in intact families where both parents are physically in the presence of their children daily. Parental alienation can come in the form of psychological manipulation of a child by a parent with the goal of causing the child to become estranged from the other parent. This form of parental alienation can be hard to detect, and even more difficult to establish in court.
Fortunately, in Pennsylvania, courts do recognize parental alienation, and seem to be taking a stronger stance against parental alienation. Some courts have even considered parental alienation to be a form of abuse.
When parental alienation takes the form of psychological manipulation, it can cause serious mental injury to a child, which can manifest itself in the form of anxiety and other disorders. Most often the parent who is committing the parental alienation, will appear to be protecting the child from the other parent.
The alienating parent will try and paint the other parent in a bad light. The alienating parent may raise false allegations of abuse against the other parent in order to prompt investigations into the other parent. Depending upon the age of the child, the alienating parent may be successful in coaching the child to admit to false allegations of abuse. When the parents appear in court for custody, it can be hard to distinguish whether there is truly abuse, or whether there is some form of parental alienation that is taking place. In order to make that determination, experts in psychology are typically required, but hiring an expert can be quite costly, and most people are not able to afford the necessary tools to litigate against the alienating parent.
The alienating parent may also use brainwashing techniques in order to turn the child against the other parent. The alienating parent may say things to the child like “mommy doesn’t love you” or “daddy loves you more”. The alienating parent may make disparaging remarks to the child about the other parent or cause the child to fear seeing the other parent. If a child develops a fear of being with the other parent, the alienating parent may attempt to link the fear to the child being abused by the other parent. This can often lead to the court placing the child with the alienating parent out of concern that the child may be being abused by the other parent.
Parental alienation can be dangerous and can have a long-lasting impact on a child who is victim to it. If you believe this could be occurring in your custody case, it is important that you not only consult with an attorney, but also with a mental health professional to ensure your child is not suffering from the affects that parental alienation can cause.
