Grand Ballroom B

When a child’s thoughts have been subsumed and distorted to the extent seen in cases of parental alienation, listening unconditionally to them cements the damage. When to heed and when not to heed a child’s wishes is a constant battleground in these cases; it’s a given that children cannot bring independent thought to questions about their parents because one of the most shocking aspects of these cases is the stratospheric levels of deception being used by parents and children. These children are often drawn into deception and manipulation, resulting in profound abuse that impacts not just behavior and cognition, but brain development itself - as emerging neuroscience confirms. This presentation explores how triangulation in high-conflict families causes deep harm and how evidence-based assessments - grounded in attachment, forensic evaluation, and behavioral science - can uncover the truth and guide effective interventions to repair the damage.

Grand Ballroom A

This presentation introduces Parental Alienation Theory: Official Synopsis, a concise, open-access book authored by the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG). Created by current and former PASG board members, the book outlines core principles of parental alienation theory in a readable two-hour format. This book has been published “open access,” which means that a PDF will be available for free on the PASG website and many other internet sites. Printed copies will be sold by the publisher and the usual outlets. It aims to build professional consensus and invites critics' input for future editions. Endorsed by over 80 organizations within the international COPARA network, the book serves as both an educational tool and a collaborative platform for advancing the field.

Simcoe

This presentation showcases how the International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) is leading a global media initiative—"We Are the Media Now"—to counter disinformation about parental alienation, shared parenting, family violence, and false allegations. Through coordinated use of podcasts, social media, YouTube, and cross-platform collaboration, the campaign amplifies accurate, evidence-based narratives to promote public education and policy reform. Recognizing that public perception shapes legal and legislative outcomes, the initiative addresses how media bias distorts understanding and contributes to flawed decisions. Attendees will learn how ICMB leverages engagement algorithms, network collaboration, and audience analytics to mobilize support and drive reform messaging. The strategy is scalable and adaptable, offering practical tools for clinicians, advocates, and legal professionals to engage in media activism and support a more truthful, informed public discourse on family law issues.

Trinity Ballroom A

In the role of counsel for targeted parents, a lawyer must have core knowledge about each of the other processes, disciplines, services and dynamics that will impact on the success of the mandate. The lawyer for the targeted parent has to actively manage and lead all of the service providers and intervene with others involved. Experienced counsel will develop an understanding of the elements necessary for a successful result. Similarly, experienced counsel will know the reasons why these mandates often fail. This presentation will draw from a lengthy career and extensive experience and highlight the strategic, substantive, procedural and practical insights necessary to meet the objectives of a parental alienation case. Critical issues will be drawn from the domains of legal, therapeutic, parental coordination, case process, child protection involvement and criminal law involvement, so that integrated, and mutually supportive services can be provided within an overall strategic plan, to ensure success.

Trinity Ballroom D

Reunification therapy is a critical, yet challenging intervention aimed at repairing and restoring fractured parent-child relationships severed by parental alienation (PA). However, its outcomes range from transformative successes to disheartening failures, raising questions about its application and efficacy. This presentation critically examines the effectiveness of reunification therapy in cases of parental alienation (PA), highlighting both its successes and failures. Drawing on case studies, research, and clinical experience, Michelle Jones, LCSW, will identify key factors influencing outcomes—such as therapist training, family cooperation, interdisciplinary teamwork, and judicial support—as well as common challenges like child resistance and adversarial legal systems. The session will offer best practices, assessment tools, and strategies for integrating therapeutic work with legal processes, equipping professionals with practical tools to improve outcomes and support healing in high-conflict PA cases, balancing hope with the realities of high-conflict dynamics.

Trinity Ballroom E

This presentation introduces The Empowerment Collaborative Co-parenting Project, a trauma-informed, non-litigious program designed to address parental alienation and promote healthy co-parenting practices. The main areas of focus will emphasize those interventions that displayed the most significant positive outcomes regarding re-establishing contact for the Target Parent, reinforcing parental and constitutional rights, and reducing alienation-related behaviors classified under abuse or penal code criteria. Emphasis will be placed on clinical and mediative strategies that proved more effective than traditional litigation. Attendees will be introduced to a suite of structured co-parenting templates, including trauma-informed parenting plans, safety plans, and screeners for litigation abuse and parental alienation. These tools are available for free adaptation by family law professionals and parents. A digital copy of our recently Kindle published workbook will also be included.

Trinity Ballroom A

This presentation shares a case study from France where a forensic expert faced a three-year campaign of attacks by activist groups opposing the recognition of parental alienation. Tactics included legal complaints, media pressure, and professional challenges—all aimed at discrediting his work. Despite intense scrutiny and efforts to obtain his removal from national medical and judicial registries, all claims were dismissed. His professional competence and integrity were fully reaffirmed by both medical and legal authorities. This case study offers a cautionary perspective on how ideological dogmas can infiltrate legal and clinical systems, threatening freedom of scientific expression and impeding the protection of children from psychological manipulation. It invites reflection on the growing need to safeguard scientific neutrality and to support experts who are being increasingly targeted simply for naming what they observe: the reality of parental alienation.

Trinity Ballroom D

This presentation emphasizes the importance of involving both the targeted and favored parent in treating parental alienation to support the child’s ability to maintain relationships with both parents. A key focus is on educating parents about the neurodevelopmental and psychological consequences of alienation, which qualifies as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACEs cause toxic stress in children, potentially leading to structural brain changes and disorders such as anxiety, depression, and personality issues. Clinicians can use therapeutic and educational strategies to help targeted parents respond with empathy rather than pain, improving their interactions with rejecting children. Favored parents are encouraged to explore their own histories and recognize how their behavior impacts the child’s well-being and attachment to the other parent. Effective intervention requires addressing both parents’ roles to reduce harm and foster reunification, making education on the effects of alienation central to treatment.

Simcoe

This presentation reviews current literature and case law on protective parenting and shared parenting in family law. It explains that protective parenting has dual interpretations depending on the case and relevant child welfare statutes that guide judicial decision making. While courts recognize a parent's duty to protect their child, they often struggle to distinguish between genuinely protective parents and those engaging in parental alienation. Shared parenting models, grounded in both science and law, aim to ensure both parents maintain strong post-divorce relationships with the child. These models emphasize mutual parental responsibility and are shown to improve child outcomes across various measures. The presentation argues that opposition to shared parenting often stems from a desire to maintain unequal parental power, and it highlights the legal and psychological benefits of shared parenting for children.

Trinity Ballroom E

In Switzerland, alienating behaviours are poorly recognized and inconsistently addressed due to cultural, legal, and psychological factors. This case study of a 15-year-old boy who has been rejecting contact with his father for over four years illustrates how mediation-focused legal norms and weak enforcement can undermine intervention—even when psychological experts have confirmed harm and recommended reunification. Despite a previously close father-child relationship, shared custody, and the fact that both parents lived only minutes apart, the parenting arrangement was never implemented. Switzerland’s emphasis on non-confrontational conflict resolution, while often helpful, has in such cases allowed alienating behaviours to deepen. Courts often rely on entrenched caregiving patterns rather than evidence of ongoing manipulation, leading to fragile or broken parent-child bonds. With no specific legislation, limited psychological literature, and poor integration of international best practices, children remain vulnerable to the lasting psychological harm caused by alienating behaviours. This presentation calls for a multidisciplinary approach—combining child psychology, family law, and human rights—to ensure compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and to better protect children’s rights to family life, identity, and balanced parental relationships.

Grand Ballroom B

Parental alienation is a complex issue that impacts many families, drawing attention to the need for effective interventions. This presentation outlines the history of treatment and reunification therapy, which aims to repair fractured relationships between alienated parents and children. It explores the evolution of therapeutic approaches and highlights evidence-based practices developed over time to help families overcome alienation. By sharing successful case studies and positive outcomes from reunification therapy, the presentation emphasizes the importance of recognizing parental alienation as a serious concern that requires specialized intervention. It also stresses the need for trained mental health professionals to guide families through the process of rebuilding trust. This historical perspective aims to enhance understanding of parental alienation and encourage ongoing efforts to provide effective treatment and support for affected families.

Grand Ballroom A

As high-conflict divorces increasingly involve claims of parental alienation, this presentation explores how family courts can better support affected families through two projects in Quebec. First, an analysis of family law cases (2017–2020) found that custody reversals are rare even when PA is judicially determined. Second, a pilot initiative—the Parenting Conflict Resolution (PCR) project—involved 49 families and combined judicial case management, collaborative legal practice, and integrated psychotherapeutic support to help the family work on coparenting and communication skills. Ongoing communication between the professionals involved in the PCR was required to ensure cohesion and accountability. Notably, in all six cases involving a child’s refusal to see a parent, contact was successfully resumed. A qualitative and quantitative data analysis reporting the experiences of all participants will be presented. The presentation will highlight key components of this interdisciplinary model and its implications for improving court responses to PA.

Bay

This presentation explores the disenfranchised grief experienced by divorced fathers, whose emotional distress often goes unrecognized due to societal and systemic biases. Drawing on theories of ambiguous loss, it examines how parental alienation and reduced post-divorce involvement contribute to identity erosion and psychological harm. A clinical framework is proposed to support grieving fathers, incorporating narrative therapy, mindfulness, and resilience-building group interventions. The importance of culturally responsive counseling is also emphasized to address the varied experiences of fathers from diverse backgrounds. This session aims to equip mental health professionals, family therapists, and counselors with practical strategies to recognize and validate the grief experienced by divorced fathers. By implementing targeted interventions, practitioners can assist fathers in navigating their grief, reclaiming their parental identity, and fostering healthier relationships with their children post-divorce.

Simcoe

This presentation explores supervised visitation as a key court intervention in high-conflict custody cases, particularly those involving parental alienation, abuse, or safety concerns. Courts order it due to factors like domestic violence, substance abuse, and abduction fears. It highlights the range of visitation models—from observational to therapeutic—with therapeutic approaches offering greater benefits in complex situations. The custodial parent's role is emphasized as central to the child's experience and the intervention’s success. A new screening tool is introduced to assess custodial parent compliance. The presentation also stresses the need for legal professionals to understand supervision models and tailor protocols accordingly.

Trinity Ballroom A

This presentation will cover an overview of Danish law reforms on shared parenting in the last decade; the new Danish law, effective January 1, 2025, that mandates family courts must take parental alienation into account in all decisions; the law’s requirement for immediate child contact within 4 weeks and full case resolution within 4 months; national education of case workers in parental alienation; the recognition of parental alienation as psychological violence under criminal law; and the long-term benefits for children, parents and society.

Grand Ballroom B

This presentation discusses The Reset Plan, a structured intervention for families affected by parental alienation, in which children spend three months with no physical contact and minimal phone communication with either parent. The goal is to disrupt the effects of alienation by providing the children with psychological space. In cases where both parents have engaged in alienating behaviors, or where older siblings have aligned with the alienating parent, contact with these individuals is also restricted. After the initial three months, children are placed with the alienated parent and maintain limited contact with the alienating parent and alienating siblings for another three months. This stage includes guided therapeutic work, including individual and joint parental sessions. The presentation illustrates how the plan helped rebuild the bond between the children and the alienated parent. However, it also critiques how judicial reluctance to maintain separation from the alienating parent and siblings ultimately undermined the progress achieved during the first six months.

Trinity Ballroom D

In many cases of parental alienation, there is an accusations of family violence. In most cases violence is reported by the alienating parent. When this is done, helpers become paralyzed and immediately stop the contact with the accused parent so that an investigation can take place. A temporary stop that very often leads to a final stop as time proceeds during the (often) lengthy investigation. Heleen takes you by the hand in a case where the mother made claims of marital abuse by the father and her research showed that abuse did indeed take place, not by the father, but by the mother. A case where coercive control by the mother not only led to parental alienation but also to misguiding of a young psychologist who got deeply involved by providing incorrect information about the father.

Bay

Legislative advocacy for family law reform requires strategic approaches and standardized tools to effectively engage lawmakers. This presentation introduces a comprehensive framework featuring eight customizable templates designed to streamline legislative engagement—from initial outreach to data presentation and follow-up. Developed through extensive research and practical application, these tools address key aspects of legislative engagement including initial contact, issue presentation, data submission, and follow-up protocols. Central to the framework is a structured training program that equips advocates with practical skills, including legislative etiquette, communication tactics, and understanding of key processes like committee structures and coalition-building. The approach has led to measurable improvements in advocate-legislator interactions and increased successful legislative outcomes. This session will outline the framework’s implementation, highlight successful case studies, and demonstrate how these tools can be adapted across jurisdictions.

Grand Ballroom A

Mental health experts can serve an invaluable role in parental alienation (PA) cases. Moderate and severe cases of PA typically end up in a court proceeding because the parties involved are at cross-purposes and will not willingly participate in a positive course of action without court intervention and guidance. This presentation outlines four types of expert roles: court-appointed custody evaluator, expert retained by the alienated parent, consultant to an attorney, and blind expert retained by the court or counsel. These roles are compared across key issues such as qualifications of an expert, method of payment, general vs. case-specific testimony, documentation to rely upon, pros and cons of custody evaluations, winning Daubert hearings, refuting misinformation and ad hominem attacks, dealing with guardians ad litem and therapists, getting to trial expeditiously, navigating judicial betrayal, and more. Case vignettes will be presented to illustrate the effectiveness of a mental health expert in all four scenarios.

Trinity Ballroom E

Parental child abduction from a developed country to a developing country is a particularly complex example of parental child abduction, highlighting challenges rooted in cultural, legal, and systemic differences. These types of cases often feature language barriers, religious differences, and moral value conflicts - complicating recovery efforts when children are abducted to countries with limited legal reciprocity. When international parental child abduction occurs with a child born between parents from a developing and developed country respectively, there is a considerable possibility that the child will be abducted to a developing country if their habitual residence is a developed country. Specific obstacles in developing countries may include bribery, corruption, and religious legal systems such as Sharia law, which may not align with international child protection norms. Courts in these jurisdictions often lack awareness of parental alienation and may rely heavily on the child’s stated preferences, even when influenced by the abducting parent. Drawing from lived experience as a survivor of abduction to Bangladesh, Jasmine Nanako will offer insights into the emotional and legal struggles faced by left-behind parents, while emphasizing the urgent need for more effective diplomatic and legal responses in such cases.

Trinity Ballroom A

This presentation introduces findings from two pioneering UK studies on Parental Alienating Behaviours (PABs). The first surveyed over 1,000 separated parents, revealing that while 39.2% self-identified as experiencing PABs, behavioural assessments suggested prevalence as high as 59.1%. Exposure to PABs was strongly linked with mental health concerns, including PTSD, depression, and suicidality. The second study surveyed over 1,000 young adults (18–25) about childhood experiences of PABs. Over 90% reported experiencing PABs from at least one parent, and a quarter experienced 20 or more behaviours. Men reported significantly higher exposure than women. PAB exposure in childhood was significantly associated with adult mental health challenges. Together, these studies demonstrate the pervasiveness and psychological harm of PABs across the lifespan, supporting calls for improved legal recognition, professional training, and public awareness. They underscore PABs as a form of psychological abuse with lasting impacts that merit urgent, coordinated policy and practice responses.

Grand Ballroom A

This presentation reviews outcome data from the Family Reflections Reunification Program (FRRP), an intensive, 4-day, evidence-based intervention for severely alienated children in high-conflict custody cases. Results from a multi-year evaluation show high success rates in restoring parent-child relationships, with sustained improvements in children’s emotional well-being, reduced psychological splitting, and healthier co-parenting dynamics. This presentation will explore key factors behind successful reunification—such as judicial enforcement and protection orders—while addressing ethical issues, program limitations, and policy recommendations to inform best practices. By sharing these outcome data, this session aims to advance professional understanding of effective interventions for severe parental alienation and inform best practices in reunification efforts.

Simcoe

Nina's world crashes down when her son suddenly turns against her for no reason following time abroad with his father. She barely recognises him and struggles to come to terms with the situation. She tries to get answers as she faces the prospect of losing him forever.

Trinity Ballroom D

This presentation explores the speaker’s interest in court-appointed assessments and how judicial involvement has shaped this focus. Drawing on experience with over 1,000 assessments nationally and internationally, the session uses case studies to illustrate how assessments are conducted, emphasizing the importance of seeing children with their parents and using structured measurement tools. Common challenges and practical solutions will be discussed, as well as the limitations of current clinical psychology training in the UK, which offers no formal teaching on this area. The presentation also addresses regional differences in outcomes and why healthcare involvement varies across the UK.

Bay

Children resisting contact with a parent remains one of the most complex challenges for professionals in separation and divorce cases, often involving parental alienation, estrangement, or high-conflict dynamics. This workshop, led by Alyson Jones, Clinical Director and creator of the Family Forward Reunification Program—the first of its kind in Western Canada—offers a candid exploration of legal and therapeutic responses to these difficult cases. Ms. Jones will share a view from the inside of a reunification program. Drawing from 15 years of experience, she will share both successes and failures from the non-residential, court-supported program in British Columbia. The session will cover the program's evolution, shifting goals, and the realities of reunification work, including triangulation, financial strain, client dissatisfaction, and conflicting agendas.

Grand Ballroom B

Happy Parenting – Malta (For Happier Children) calls for urgent family law reform to better serve children’s needs. Key proposals include digital court notifications, decriminalizing access and maintenance, creating a non-court family agency, promoting shared parenting, and limiting child advocate involvement to rare, high-risk cases with proper psychological training. As Malta undergoes public consultation - currently led by lawyers - some of the recommendations are being included, while others are being misinterpreted and twisted.

Trinity Ballroom E

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Parental Alienation (PA) are forms of adverse events negatively affecting children globally. The current study was to identify a revised ACEs measure that includes a screening item for PA. Surveying 231 undergraduate students, researchers tested four PA screening items to determine which best aligned with the existing ACEs scale. All four PA items were significantly correlated with converging constructs, and one PA item demonstrated strong convergent validity and was incorporated into a revised ACEs-PA measure. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure with the new item accounting for greater variance in outcomes than the original ACEs scale. Findings suggest that parental alienation functions as a distinct and measurable adverse childhood experience, warranting its inclusion in ACEs assessments.

Trinity Ballroom D

Working with families where parental alienation has led to a contact-stop between the alienated parent and the children is complex. The clinical and legal field need to cooperate. For the clinical field this means that the professional must have not only in depth knowledge of PA but also of other behavioral scientific fields like (childhood) trauma, unsafe attachment or personality disorders. For the legal field this also means that understanding the explanations provided by the clinician and following up the advice is crucial. In a case study Heleen takes you by the hand where she herself had too little knowledge how to help a mother who had experienced childhood trauma and showed signs of a borderline personality, combined with a court that just did not take the final step. Consequently, the children that were placed in the care of the father were placed back in the care of the mother leading to a complete contact-stop and finally a request from the children to alter their family name into that of the mother.

Grand Ballroom A

From the beginning in the 1980s, parental alienation was a clinical presentation. Its strongest detractors began in the 1960s-70s gendered violence movement, which was and remains a political concept. Following these different pathways, proponents of parental alienation theory continue the evidence-based campaign for recognition as a form of non-gendered coercive controlling family violence and assessable mental health conditions.

Yet, its extreme detractors use political means to successfully advocate for structural changes, policies and legislation that defeat the concept and prevent remediations. Is a pivot required to orient the parental alienation field towards public policy?

Australia and the USA achieved the same political outcome of undermining the family and family relationships using different means. Australia's 2024 Family Law reforms annul the significance of a child's relationship with both parents. In the USA and Canada, Kayden's, Picqui's, and Kyra's Laws "ban the solution, rather than the problem", prohibiting remediation of alienated parent-child relationships on allegations alone. These changes prioritise child safety above the children's families.

The changes in the USA and Australia used targeted political and public campaigns to construct a dominant social dialogue about violence against women and children. They disguise the real purpose to radically dismantle and alter the nature and structure of families and the State's role in children's lives. Parental alienating behaviours exploit power and relationships and are a political tool to fulfil this purpose.

This presentation discusses how parental alienation theory and practice counters such covert strategies and how policy advocacy can achieve family-oriented political outcomes.

Trinity Ballroom A

The main purpose of this paper is to present the results of a longitudinal study of 64 children in 31 families who were Court-ordered to attend the Family Bridges (FB) workshop and FB Aftercare Protocol since 2006. These results will be discussed in relation to the legal and mental health concerns about removals of parents from child’s lives. A second purpose of this paper is to describe the foundational principles, goals, curriculum, and methodology of the FB Aftercare Protocol in detail.

Grand Ballroom A

This panel will summarize four new research proposals aimed at strengthening the scientific foundation of parental alienation theory. Each proposal will be briefly outlined to allow time for audience feedback and to encourage collaboration with PASG members as future investigators.