Books by Linda Gottlieb
The Parental Alienation Syndrome:
A Family Therapy and Collaborative Systems Approach to Amelioration
Book Review by William Bernet
In this thought-provoking book, Ms. Gottlieb attempts to resolve the controversies surrounding Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) by providing substantial empirical evidence from her treatment cases in support of the eight symptoms that child psychiatrist, Richard Gardner, had identified as occurring in the PAS child, and she further exemplifies the commonality of the alienating maneuvers among the alienating parents. The author redefines the typically-held characterization of the parents’ relationship as portrayed in the pertinent literature and accepted by most PAS-aware professionals. Numerous case examples are explored: horrific tales of manufactured child abuse; referrals to child protective services (CPS) resulting in suspension of visits between targeted parents and their children; meritless reports to police alleging domestic violence in support of orders of protection which slander and stigmatize targeted parents; exclusionary tactics preventing targeted parents’ involvement in their children’s medical, educational, social lives and activities; and depletion of targeted parents’ resources due to legal fees required to defend himself/herself and to obtain judicial enforcement of parental rights.
Ms. Gottlieb methodically documents that PAS is a form of emotional child abuse of the severest kind. The author provides an unprecedented number of treatment summaries, which demonstrate the effectiveness of structural family therapy in treating the PAS family. To further elucidate the subject, the author interviewed several matrimonial attorneys, Law Guardians, and forensic evaluators regarding their experiences with PAS, and she incorporated their thoughts into her recommendations as to how the mental health and judicial communities should resolve this situation in the best interests of the child.
“New Rules” are suggested, which encourage a collaborative rather than an adversarial approach to child custody. This book will be an excellent resource for parents who are divorcing or are in conflict, for adult-child victims of PAS, for mature children of divorcing parents, for judges, for Law Guardians, for matrimonial attorneys, for therapists, for child protective personnel, for law enforcement, and for the professional rescuer who believes that a child must be saved from a parent.
Book Review by William Bernet
In this thought-provoking book, Ms. Gottlieb attempts to resolve the controversies surrounding Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) by providing substantial empirical evidence from her treatment cases in support of the eight symptoms that child psychiatrist, Richard Gardner, had identified as occurring in the PAS child, and she further exemplifies the commonality of the alienating maneuvers among the alienating parents. The author redefines the typically-held characterization of the parents’ relationship as portrayed in the pertinent literature and accepted by most PAS-aware professionals. Numerous case examples are explored: horrific tales of manufactured child abuse; referrals to child protective services (CPS) resulting in suspension of visits between targeted parents and their children; meritless reports to police alleging domestic violence in support of orders of protection which slander and stigmatize targeted parents; exclusionary tactics preventing targeted parents’ involvement in their children’s medical, educational, social lives and activities; and depletion of targeted parents’ resources due to legal fees required to defend himself/herself and to obtain judicial enforcement of parental rights. Ms. Gottlieb methodically documents that PAS is a form of emotional child abuse of the severest kind. The author provides an unprecedented number of treatment summaries, which demonstrate the effectiveness of structural family therapy in treating the PAS family. To further elucidate the subject, the author interviewed several matrimonial attorneys, Law Guardians, and forensic evaluators regarding their experiences with PAS, and she incorporated their thoughts into her recommendations as to how the mental health and judicial communities should resolve this situation in the best interests of the child. “New Rules” are suggested, which encourage a collaborative rather than an adversarial approach to child custody. This book will be an excellent resource for parents who are divorcing or are in conflict, for adult-child victims of PAS, for mature children of divorcing parents, for judges, for Law Guardians, for matrimonial attorneys, for therapists, for child protective personnel, for law enforcement, and for the professional rescuer who believes that a child must be saved from a parent.
Child Psychological Abuse is an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)
Under the section of psychological abuse, the following is written:
“In contentious divorces, one of the parents may indoctrinate the child to fear or dislike the other parent, thus causing parental alienation between between the child and the rejected parent. Depending on the circumstances, parental alienation may be identified by one or more of these DSM-5 terms: child psychological abuse, parent–child relational problem, or child affected by parental relationship distress.” (pp. 3828)
The Family Dynamics in Alienation Meet the DSM-5 Criteria for:
“Child Psychological Abuse” (995.51):
Child psychological abuse is nonaccidental verbal or symbolic acts by a child's parent or caregiver that result, or have reasonable potential to result, in significant psychological harm to the child … Examples of psychological abuse of a child include berating, disparaging, or humiliating the child; threatening the child; harming/abandoning----or ,indicating that the alleged offender will harm/abandon----people or things that the child cares about. (P. 719.)
Child Psychological Abuse is an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)
ALIENATION IS CHILD PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE
“Causing PA [parental alienation] is a form of child maltreatment…Specifically, engaging in AB’s [alienating behaviors] in a purposeful, persistent manner constitutes child psychological abuse” (p. 15)
“The reader should note that no expert or professional group has stated the reverse, i.e., that causing severe PA is not a form of child maltreatment. Since PA constitutes significant psychological harm to the child, causing severe PA should be classified as a form of child psychological abuse. Accordingly, child protection personnel and courts should consider removing—at least temporarily—children who manifest severe PA should be removed from the home of the favored, alienating parent. In that regard, this form of child psychological abuse should be addressed in the same way as physical abuse and sexual abuse is handled” (P. 17)
Dr. William Bernet
Child Psychological Abuse is an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)
Clawar & Rivlin (2013), published by the American Bar Association:
"We have added 300 new cases to our original sample of 700, for a total of 1000 cases . . . Our research continues to confirm that, even under court order, traditional therapies are of little, if any, benefit in regard to treating this form of child abuse."
(page xxvii.)
Child Psychological Abuse is an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
Spinazzola, J., et. al. (2014) “Unseen Wounds: The Contribution of Psychological Maltreatment to Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Risk Outcomes” Psychological Trauma, 6(S1), S18-S28:
“Our findings strongly support the hypotheses that PM [psychological maltreatment] in childhood not only augments, but also independently contributes to, statistical risk for negative youth outcomes to an extent comparable to statistical risks imparted by exposure to physical abuse (PA), sexual abuse (SA), or their combination (PA + SA).”
CDC-Kaiser ACE Study
Chester Community Coalition, Chester, PA
Chester Community Coalition, Chester, PA
Chester Community Coalition, Chester, PA
FAMILY DYNAMICS OCCURRING IN ALIENATION
- In severe, and many moderate, cases of PA, the alliance between the child and alienating parent involves pathological enmeshment—a significant boundary violation of the child by the alienating parent in which the parent ROBS the child of the child’s own feelings, thinking, opinions, and wishes and implants his or her own
- Pathological enmeshment appears to be healthy bonding to non-specialists in alienation—one of many counterintuitive issues arising in alienation cases
- Pathological enmeshment is, however, a serious psychiatric condition for the child in which the child loses all sense of autonomy and ability to function independently
Three Types of Pathological Enmeshment
- Infantilization
- The parent has made the child pathologically dependent; the child is infantilized.
- Adultification
- The parent has inappropriately treated the child like an adult; the child is adultified.
- Parentification.
- The parent has permitted the child to assume a parental, caretaking, emotional-support role with that parent; the child is parentified.
Of Particular Note:
FATHERS ENGAGE IN PARENTAL ALIENATION IN EQUAL PERCENTAGES TO MOTHERS
WHEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY