Rev. Anne Grant: The discredited ‘Parental Alienation Syndrome’

Rev. Anne Grant: The discredited ‘Parental Alienation Syndrome’
"Abusers with money or other forms of influence, skilled at terrorizing their families, easily gain the upper hand. Their children, suffering nightmares and stomach ailments, refuse to visit them. The abusive parent charges the protective parent with “brainwashing” the children, and wins sole custody…
   The so-called Parental Alienation Syndrome, touted by many in the Rhode Island Family Court, has been discredited by the American Psychological Association and, recently, by both the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Children’s Legal Rights Journal. 
 For more than a decade, I have witnessed the devastating effects of this strategy in Rhode Island courtrooms and families.
   Abusers often pride themselves on a no-nonsense parenting style that may appeal to judges. They typically show little concern for their children. Some pursue the children to torment their ex-partner or to avoid paying child support.
   Some force the children to deliver intelligence on the ex-partner, for protracted litigation against the protective parent. Threatened by a brutal, angry, demanding parent, the children frequently suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and worse."
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