Parental alienation continues to be an ongoing challenge we see in family law matters. SMP Law has created several blogs on the topic of parental alienation so as a reminder, the term parental alienation references “a child is expressing extreme negative feelings about a parent that are not supported by their experiences”.  In plain language, this means that one parent is influencing the feelings of the child toward the other parent in a negative way.

As the focus on parental alienation evolves, the court system is working diligently to understand the complex layers that can be involved in parental alienation. For example, it is important to understand the difference between parental alienation and realistic estrangement. It is also important to understand how intimate partner violence (IPV) can play a role in parental alienation. Survivors of IPV continue to face challenges with being believed about the violence they have experienced or have it minimized or dismissed, and have it ignored due to the misguided belief that it is “an adult issue”. IPV is not just an adult issue and can have serious consequences for children, one of which can be the estrangement from the abusive parent.

One solution that has been a focus to help heal parental alienation has been reunification therapy. Reunification therapy is essentially a therapeutic process designed to rebuild and repair a relationship between a parent and a child. Reunification therapy usually occurs through counseling, but it can also be completed as a program, such as the Family Bridges program. Read more about reunification therapy on SMP Law’s blog “Parental Alienation Series part 2”.

SMP Law is here to help SiMPlify any questions or concerns you may have about parental alienation.

Contact us anytime at SMP Law to help SiMPlify your legal matter at 905-565-9494 or email info@smplaw.ca if you have any questions or would like to book an appointment to meet and discuss your situation and how we can help.

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