Nancy W. Olesen

Gatekeeping has been used as a theory and a measure to describe and assess family dynamics within the context of separation and divorce. In this article, we explore adaptive and maladaptive gatekeeping behaviors and attitudes that can affect the other parent's relationship with the child. Implications are presented for connecting adaptive and malad...

Many therapists see large numbers of people who are going though the process of divorce, but they do not receive training about the special issues that emerge in many divorcing families, particularly those who are engaged in high levels of conflict. Therapists in these cases may be faced with situations where there are allegations of abuse or domes...

This article is in response to an article in this same issue by Joan Meier, “Getting Real About Abuse and Alienation: A Critique of Drozd and Olesen's 20045. Drozd , L. , & Olesen , N. W. ( 2004 ). Is it abuse, alienation or estrangement? A decision tree . Journal of Child Custody , 1 ( 3 ), 65 – 106 . [Taylor & Francis Online]View all references D...

This study of custody disputing families tests competing hypothesis about the correlates of children's alignment with one parent and rejection of the other. Hypotheses include: (a) parental alienation by the aligned parent, (b) abuse by the rejected parent, and (c) boundary diffusion or role reversal in the family. The data were coded from clinical...

In this study, the Rorschach protocols of 98 parents undergoing custody evaluations were correlated with clinical judgments of their alienating co-parenting behavior, parent-child role reversal, lack of warm and involved parenting, and abuse of the child. The results indicate that this personality assessment instrument, scored according to the Comp...

In this study of 120 divorced families referred for child custody evaluations and custody counseling, multiple allegations of child abuse, neglect, and family violence were raised in the majority of cases. About half of the alleged abuse was substantiated in some way with one fourth involving abuse perpetrated by both parents. Different kinds of al...

In this study of 74 children ages 5-12 years in custody disputes, child alienation was defined as the expression of persistent, strong negative attitudes and rejecting behaviors toward one parent with corresponding emotional enmeshment with the other parent. According to parents' ratings using the Child Behavior Checklist, alienated children had mo...

Allegations of family violence, child abuse, and alienation often occur in the same contested child custody case. Custody eval-uators often are poorly trained in forensic assessment of allegations of domestic violence and allegations of alienation. The authors of this article suggest language that is designed to differentiate between cases in which...

Today, judges are faced with the daunting task of determining the best interests of the child and making appropriate custody awards to that end. The best interests of children becomes a critical question when domestic violence is involved; yet, determining what constitutes domestic violence is often debated. Research is often divided on what consti...

In-depth child custody evaluations can be critical in forming an accurate understanding of families in which alienation of children is a concern. By integrating interview and psychological test data of parents and children along with collateral information the evaluator can differentiate an alienated child from children with other forms of parental...

The typology of impression management (IM), a deliberate attempt to create a positive social image, and self-deceptive positivity (SDP), an unintentional concealment of symptoms, were examined using taxometric procedures with MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) underreporting scales in several custody-litigant samples. IM...