Parental alienation can happen in the context of a divorce and custody battle. It is a form of undue influence in which one parent deceives and manipulates the child to feel fear, anger, disgust, or other negative emotions towards the other parent. The alienating parent may attempt to instill false memories of abuse or phobias about the other parent in the child’s mind. They may encourage the child to spy and tattle on the other parent.
In other words, parents who unethically alienate their child against the other parent use similar tactics that cults use to distance their members from family, friends, and ex-members. Please visit the BITE Model page to learn more about these tactics.
We Can Help
We offer consulting for families affected by parental alienation. Using the Strategic Interactive Approach, we can work with you to create ethical and effective ways to help your child become empowered to form their own opinions without undue influence from others. Steven has been trained by Developmental Psychologist Amy Baker in her Reunification program. Please contact us or visit our Help a Loved One page to learn more.