This can depend on a constellation of factors, such as:
• How long has the alienation been happening?
• Does the alienating parent acknowledge that he or she has been doing something wrong? Does that parent want to change?
• How severe has the alienation been?
• How has the child’s behavior or disposition changed toward the targeted parent?
• What is the state of the relationship between the alienating and targeted parents? For instance, are there other legal issues at play that could influence the situation, such as a contentious divorce, allegations of child abuse or neglect, or a fight over paternity?
• Does either parent have a criminal history or history of mental illness?
• Are there other children involved, including step-children?
• Have other trusted adults (including family members, therapists, older siblings, etc.) played a role in the alienation?
• What interventions have been tried already? If so, what happened and why?
Even when the situation is relatively simple — for instance, there are no counter allegations of abuse or neglect; or the instigating parent feels embarrassed and wants to get control of his or her behavior — unwinding the damage can take time and care. In some ways, you can think of the situation as like a tangled ball of colored yarn. The yellow strand of yarn might represent the rejected parent’s feelings. The green strand might represent the instigating parent’s backstory. The blue string might represent the child’s story. “Pulling” on one strand inevitably creates friction on the other stands. Unskillful work can make the messy knot even tighter and more intractable. It takes patience, experience and an informed sense of the family and its root conflicts to create a strategic plan.
For skillful, experienced assistance handling your Parental Alienation case, call the Williams Law Group, LLC immediately at (908) 810-1083.
