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Reconnecting Children with Absent Parents: A Model for Intervention
... Moreover, there is scant systematic knowledge available about the specific principles and techniques to be used in reunification therapy. As Freeman et al. (2004) noted fifteen years ago, "Despite the acknowledged importance of children having the psychological freedom to develop relationships with both parents, our search of the divorce literature produced no guidance as to indications and contraindications to guide the successful reunification process" (p. 44). ...
... 103). Freeman et al. (2004) articulate an extensive assessment phase of their Families in Transition program which involves getting to know each parent and the child, developing an understanding of the needs and concerns of the parents, and determining extent of risk involved for the child -if any -in reestablishing contact with the rejected parent. ...
... In fact, many custodial parents do not comply with parenting plans, even when court-ordered (Baker, 2008;Lowenstein, 2011). It often appears to be the case that the favored parent does not support the reparation of the child's relationship with the other parent (e.g., Albertson-Kelly & Burkhard, 2013;Freeman et al., 2004;Weitzman, 2013). It is most likely the case at the beginning of treatment that the only person who is interested in a change to the status quo is the rejected parent. ...
One hundred and twenty licensed mental health professionals were surveyed about their work conducting court-ordered reunification therapy with moderate to severe cases of children’s rejection of a parent. Four issues were examined in particular: assessment/screening of alienation VS. estrangement, development of treatment goals, definition and measurement of treatment success, and barriers to successful treatment. Predictors of successful treatment were also examined. Results indicate that how success was defined, whether joint sessions are offered, number of barriers, and percent of cases perceived to be hybrids all predicted percent of successful cases. Findings offer many opportunities for refining and enhancing this very challenging work.
... Therefore, vignette studies of novel ideas are very important to convince practitioners, who may be cautious of using game theory and goal-setting theory in practice. Furthermore, vignette studies have been used in previous literature to evaluate family law interventions (e.g., Freeman, Abel, Cowper-Smith, & Stein, 2004;Zelechoski, Fuhrmann, Zibbell, & Cavallero, 2012) or investigate custody disputes in other areas such as moral disengagement (Clemente, Espinoza, & Padilla, 2019). Also, vignettes have been used to investigate value-based bias (Sagi & Dvir, 1993), effects of extra-marital affairs (Votrouba, Braver, Ellman, & Fabricius, 2014), effects of accusations of domestic violence (Hans, Hardesty, Haselschwerdt, & Frey, 2014), and the validity of a decision-making guide (Saini & Birnbaum, 2015). ...
The Equality Principle (EP) is a novel idea to motivate parents litigating in custody disputes to negotiate. The EP is designed for a special but common case in which both parents are individually fit, there are no decisive differences between the two households that the parents live in, but the conflict between the parents is so infected that the children's well‐being is threatened and shared custody must be ruled out. The present paper empirically tested the Equality Principle in its higher bidder version. In this version, both parents are first told that the conditions for the EP are met. Then, both parents are asked how much visitation they would allow the other parent, assuming that they would win sole custody and living. The most generous parent is awarded custody and living, along with a dictum to facilitate the promised amount of visitation. In the present model (PM), the offered amount of visitation has no functional effect on the custody dispute because the judges and jurors award custody as well as the amount of visitation. A within‐subjects vignette experiment measured 52 participants’ levels of visitation generosity in the EP and the PM. Participants showed significantly higher visitation generosity in the EP compared to the PM. The results are discussed in terms of representation of the present model, an equal amount of visitation offered, ecological validity, child perspective, and appellant's rights. In conclusion, the present paper showed that the EP is a promising strategy to resolve seemingly unresolvable custody disputes.
... Children learn to assert their right to give and receive love from both parents and avoid being pulled into their parents' disputes. The literature presents several models and strategies for working with families in which school-age children are alienated, but lacks rigorous outcome data (Carter, 2011;Eddy, 2009;Freeman, Abel, Cooper-Smith, & Stein, 2004;Friedlander & Walters, 2010;Johnston & Goldman, 2010;Sullivan, Ward, & Deutsch, 2010). ...
False beliefs about the genesis of parental alienation and about appropriate remedies shape opinions and decisions that fail to meet children’s needs. This article examines 10 mistaken assumptions: (a) children never unreasonably reject the parent with whom they spend the most time, (b) children never unreasonably reject mothers, (c) each parent contributes equally to a child’s alienation, (d) alienation is a child’s transient, short-lived response to the parents’ separation, (e) rejecting a parent is a short-term healthy coping mechanism, (f) young children living with an alienating parent need no intervention, (g) alienated adolescents’ stated preferences should dominate custody decisions, (h) children who appear to function well outside the family need no intervention, (i) severely alienated children are best treated with traditional therapy techniques while living primarily with their favored parent, and (j) separating children from an alienating parent is traumatic. Reliance on false beliefs compromises investigations and undermines adequate consideration of alternative explanations for the causes of a child’s alienation. Most critical, fallacies about parental alienation shortchange children and parents by supporting outcomes that fail to provide effective relief to those who experience this problem.
... It also leads to a positive relationship between the noncustodial parent and the custodial parent. This can often be achieved with the help of a therapist (Freeman, Abel, Cowper-Smith, & Stein, 2004). It is, however, difficult to achieve when there is ongoing alienation being practiced by the custodial parent (Lowenstein, 2007) while the therapy is taking place. ...
Following an acrimonious divorce or separation, arguments are frequently presented as to why a child should not be with a nonresident parent. The custodial parent, whether a father or a mother, uses the concept of a child being attached to himself or herself and therefore this should prevent the child from having actual or reasonable contact with the absent parent. This view is based on antagonism between the former partners rather than the importance of the attachment theory being relevant. The attachment theory is also used to discredit the intentions of the noncustodial parent. This is especially the case for the younger child. With older children this is not likely to be as relevant. The history of the development of the attachment theory commencing with Bowlby and Ainsworth is presented, and the counterarguments are also presented. Attachment to the mother is obviously important initially but attachment to the father is equally important to the child and such bonding is likely to lead to positive emotional and behavioral development. It is therefore argued that both fathers and mothers have an important role to play and are, or should be, responsible for the rearing of children. The acrimony between the couple should not be considered as relevant as it is, in fact, the real reason why attachment theory is used against a nonresident parent.
... Clinical Interventions with the Family Conjoint family therapy with families with a resistance=refusal dynamic can be implemented in various ways. Apart from the MMFI, other recent models (Ward, 2007;Freeman, 2008) describe work that involves the whole family rather than just the child and the rejected parent. Freeman's reconnection model emphasizes that the work focus on the child's best interests and proceed at the child's pace, with careful assessments of each parent's concerns and capacities to participate, as well as thoughtful planning and preparation for face-to-face meetings. ...
This article provides a detailed explanation of the use of clinical interventions, such as the Multi-Modal Family Intervention (MMFI), in situations where a child resists or refuses contact with a parent. Geared toward a multidisciplinary audience of judicial officers, family law attorneys, and mental health practitioners, the authors guide the reader through the conceptual formulations of the ways these interventions can be helpful and then offer three case examples that demonstrate the practical application of the concepts. The authors believe that effective clinical intervention is essential in resolving the resistance/refusal dynamic, and it also enables the child to experience and maintain a tenable space where having relationships with both parents is possible.
... Gardner's recommendations are detailed but controversial. Other commentators (such as Freeman et al., 2004) remain enthusiastic about a therapeutic approach, with varying levels of enthusiasm for changing custody as a last resort. ...
Children who reject one parent after parental separation provide a major challenge for the family court in New Zealand, as in other countries. There are controversies about the causes and the management of these problems. This article reviews the available literature on the underlying causes of the problem, which we have called post-separation parental rejection, and discusses ways in which the legal systems in New Zealand and elsewhere can respond in order to maximise the chance of the child maintaining a relationship with both parents through the process of litigation, a process which can be prolonged and difficult in the most severe cases. Suggestions are given about ways of minimising delay, enforcing contact and even changing custody where necessary.
... 3. In this context, the intervention can be more like the reconnection work described by Freeman (2008) with children and absent parents. ...
... In addition, techniques and strategies for working with each child, the rejected parent and the favored parent, as well as those for working with the family as a whole or in dyads and triads are beyond the scope of the paper. (See, e.g., Baker & Fine, 2008;Carey, Sullivan, & Ward, 2007;Carter, Haave, & Vandersteen, 2006Coates et al., 2004;De Vries & Niemi, 2007;Sullivan, Ward, & Deutsch, 2010;Deutsch, Sullivan, Ward, Carey, & Blane, 2009;Drozd & Olesen, 2009;Eddy, 2009;Everett, 2006;Fidler, Chodos, Nelson, & Vanbetlehem, 2009;Freeman, Abel, Cowper-Smith, & Stein, 2004;Gardner, 1999Gardner, , 2001cJohnston, 2005aJohnston, , 2005bJohnston, Roseby, & Kuehnle, 2009;Johnston, Walters, & Friedlander, 2001;Sullivan & Kelly, 2001;Ward & Harvey, 1993). ...
This article provides an overview of the key concepts, themes, issues, and possible mental health and legal interventions related to children's postseparation resistance to having contact with one parent. We maintain that the too often strongly gendered polemic on alienation and abuse is polarizing and needs to be replaced with a more nuanced and balanced discussion that recognizes the complexity of the issues so that the needs of children and families can be better met. This article reviews the historical development of the concept of alienation; discusses the causes, dynamics, and differentiation of various types of parent child contact problems; and summarizes the literature on the impact of alienation on children. These are complex cases. A significant portion of the cases in which alienation is alleged are not in fact alienation cases; for those where alienation is present, interventions will vary depending on the degree of the alienation. More severe alienation cases are unlikely to be responsive to therapeutic or psycho-educational interventions in the absence of either a temporary interruption of contact between the child and the alienating parent or a more permanent custody reversal. We conclude with a summary of recommendations for practice and policy, including the need for early identification and intervention to prevent the development of severe cases, interdisciplinary collaboration and further development and research of interventions.
Families, litigants, lawyers, advisors embroiled in cases of complex divorce with child contact issues, manage many stressors at once. Participants involved with these types of cases are often exhausted and burned‐out from the long‐term battles of prolonged litigation. The inability to problem‐solve or even communicate effectively reflects the chaos and traumatic stress of the experience and can be seen as a hallmark of this population. When people are consistently stressed, there is a breakdown of communication skills that can create an immunity to receiving help from any direction. Often all parties involved appear to be both hyper‐alert to potential threat, and hyper‐reactive to one another: no one feels safe. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory is premised on the idea that neuroception plays a key role in the nervous system's ability to assess danger in the environment. Neuroception is a neurophysiological response that does not involve cognitive processing. When cognitive processing is not involved, the result may lead to misinterpretation of, and an inability to accurately assess situations: executive functioning including rational thinking and communication skills are lost to physiological response. Rather than evaluating families and individuals involved in the aforementioned complex divorce cases through the lens of pathology, Polyvagal Theory explains their behavior as an adaptive stress reaction. Utilizing Polyvagal Theory offers a promising path to treatment with these families and diminishing the poor communication and the heightened emotion, assisting practitioners in understanding the impact of neurobiological response in managing stress and trauma. Applying Polyvagal Theory to court involved populations can help both litigants and practitioners recognize the role of the autonomic nervous system, providing the opportunity to understand, to self‐regulate, and to improve communication and decision making.
In response to a growing number of requests to help reunify parents and children separated by allegations of child abuse, we developed a model for intervention informed by clinical experience, feedback from clients and professionals, and insights from a growing body of interdisciplinary literature. This article presents a retrospective analysis of 29 intrafamilial cases describing the intervention, outcomes, and problems presented by these challenging situations. The safety and protection of the child was the paramount consideration in determining success, whether or not reunification was achieved. Using informal follow-up data, 24 of the 29 cases were categorized as successful, 21 resulted in full or partial reunification, and 3 cases resulted in the voluntary or court-ordered withdrawal of an accused father believed to pose a risk to the child. In 5 cases, the nonaccused parent thwarted efforts at reunification, and the case returned to the court of relevant jurisdiction.
Working with children who have irrationally rejected a parent is an emerging area of practice with unique risks. The dynamics that drive false allegations about a parent also drive accusations against professionals who participate in a process to reunify the children with that parent. This article discusses protective measures to reduce risks of false accusations, character assassination, harassment, and violence. Recommendations are offered for organizations charged with investigating complaints. Agencies that do an inadequate job of handling such complaints may harm the public by driving innovators from the field and reducing the availability of programs that have helped many families.
Children who are triangulated into their parents' conflicts can become polarized, aligning with one parent and rejecting the other. In response, courts often order families to engage mental health professionals to provide reunification interventions. This article adapts empirically established systematic desensitization and flooding procedures most commonly used to treat phobic children as possible components of a larger family systems invention designed to help the polarized child develop a healthy relationship with both parents. Strengths and weaknesses of these procedures are discussed and illustrated with case material.
Key Points for the Family Court Community
Family law and psychology agree that children should have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy relationship with both parents
Adult conflict can polarize a child's relationships, including rejection of one parent
Existing clinical and forensic “reunification” strategies often prove inadequate
Reliable and valid cognitive behavioral methods can be adopted to facilitate this process
A cognitive‐behavioral “exposure‐based” reunification protocol is discussed
Few ideas have captured the attention and charged the emotions of the public, of mental health and legal professionals as thor- oughly as the concept of parental alienation and Gardner's (1987) Paren- tal Alienation Syndrome. For all of this controversy, the alienation concept stands outside developmental theory and without firm empirical support. The present paper explores alienation and its conceptual coun- terpart, alignment, as the necessary and natural tools of child-caregiver attachment (Ainsworth & Wittig, 1969; Bowlby, 1969) and of family system cohesion. This conceptual foundation offers developmentalists, clinicians, and family law professionals alike a common language and
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