Parental Alienation
Parental Alienation
Alienation occurs when one parent manipulates a child to reject the other parent. Sometimes this manipulation occurs through unconscious behaviours such as:
- allowing the child to overhear conversations where negative things are shared about the other parent.
- treating it as if it is a priviledge, or gift from them to allow access to the other parent. “Well, I guess I could let the other parent have you this weekend.”
- protection order/preventing access. keeping away from milestones such as first day of school.
- having kids present when there is a need for adult conversations.

At other times, overt methods are also used such as:
- restricting access to the child using various strategies (courts, police, agressive negeotian in custody agreements).
- poisonous messages to the child about the targeted parent in which he or she is portrayed as unloving, unsafe, and unavailable
- encouraging the child to betray the targeted parent’s trust
- undermining the authority of the targeted parent.
We support Men and Women who are either alienating their children from their parter, or when their children are being alienated from them.
For alienated child, the consequences include:
- Reduced self esteem, ability to trust.
- Self hatred.
- Higher rates of depression
- Reduced ability to deal with conflict, and network with coworkers.
- Increased lifelong risk of drug of alchohol abuse
- Regret, later in life.
- More for daughters, difficulty establishing long term relationships and getting married. Also greater chances of divorce. More difficulty forming meaningful relationships with men.
- For sons greater, difficulty with alcholism, suicide and domestic violence in future relationship.
Our beleif is that most parents who understands the lifelong consequenses for the child victims of alienation would not choose that for their children. In most cases some education and outside support can help all parties create better outcomes for their children and their coparenting reltaionships.
It is easy to prevent these consequences for children, please call to discuss parental alienation with us – whether as an alienator, alienated, concenred grandparent, family friend, or child.
We support people by linking them with education on the consequences of parental alienation, how to parent without alienating, and coaching on alternative strategies for alieanted and alienating parents.
Jennier Harman talks about parental alienation, and how stereotypes fit in, and how people all around the child can take a role in mitigating parental alienation.
Jennifer Harman talks about parenting stereotypes and set’s of behaviours that damage, destroy or sever the relationship with the other parent.