Parental Alienation Study Group
Awareness of parental alienation (PA) continues to grow in Australia and New Zealand. Those of you in Australia, New Zealand interested in research, study and advocacy on all aspects of parental alienation (PA) might consider joining the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG).
The PASG now has more than 240 members, academics, researchers, practitioners such as mental health clinicians, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, legal counsel, and judges across more than 40 countries-including members in Australia.
The members of PASG are interested in educating the general public, and are also interested in developing and promoting research on the causes, evaluation, and treatment of parental alienation and have published more than 50 books on parental alienation and related topics and scores of articles in peer reviewed journals.
Members also receive the international newsletter, Parental Alienation International (PAI), published 6 times per year. The next edition is due in November 2015.
In particular the July 2015 addition of Parental Alienation International (PAI) featured a report on the growing interest in research on PA and PAS, noting 5 recent research studies underway around the world, in the USA, South Africa and 2 studies now underway in Australia.
The September 2015 edition of Parental Alienation International (PAI) featured:
- Advocacy efforts by PASG rebutting claims that parental alienation has no scientific basis, a report on the growing interest in research on PA and PAS, noting 5 recent research studies underway around the world, in the USA, South Africa and 2 studies now underway in Australia, and
- A report on misleading and incorrect information about parental alienation delivered to frontline family violence workers in Australia
- Commentary on Dr. Craig Childress’s book, Foundations: An Attachment-Based Model of Parental Alienation. Many of you will be aware of his views, particularly that he seeks to locate parental alienation within established psychological principles and theories, particularly attachment theory. One of his purposes is to address what he believes is one of the major criticisms of parental alienation as originally formulated by Dr. Richard Gardner, that it is based entirely upon empirical observation.
The PASG welcomes new members, especially from Australia and New Zealand. Contact the PASG through the ‘Contact Us’ button on the website (pasg.info) with a brief email explaining your interest in PA.
Hello: I am an adult alienated daughter and am currently writing my memoir, excerpts which have been published in Brain, Child and Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-laquidara/hope-and-empowerment-for-_b_7861326.html
My blog includes my story of being alienated from my mother when I was four years old.
I live in the United States, but I do wish you well in your very important studies in New Zealand and Australia. Please feel free to share my writing.
Dana Laquidara
How do I be a part of this study? The lives of me(mother) my children and entire maternal family have been deeply affected by PAS. Presently still trying to find a path to getting the help for my daughter at least as she has been conditioned into a false belief system regarding her entire life.
Dana, what a wonderful piece you wrote, everything touched a cord with me and until you have been in the situation you will never know just how traumatic it is. As a mother who has been alienated from my soon to be 11 year old daughter, (April 5, 2016) I understand your mother feeling that the narcissistic forces against her were just too great to try and get you back. You lose your self esteem and your confidence, that is what they take from you, I have court orders in place as the custodial parent but I feel I don’t have the strength to exercise them at this point, I am relying on the legal system in Australia to help me but research would seem to indicate that as PAS is not recognised universally as it should be the contempt and terror will continue. I have seen my daughter three times in 11 weeks, the first time she cried, the second time she loved me with all her heart, she held my hand at every opportunity and she hugged me endlessly, the third time she cried and she was frozen and would not even look at me or answer me, I knew that there must be an explaination for the change in heart. I can tell you from a mother’s point of view it is like someone ripping your heart out, there is no place that is happy, there are no words that can console and it is with you 24/7, there is a significant history of domestic abuse and I must say even I did not believe he would stoop to this level. I read your piece and could relate to everything, it is the worst form of child abuse but only a narcissict could possible inflict such anguish. I do hope you have found some peace and if you have any words of wisdom for me I would dearly love to hear them. I pray for my daughter every day. Thank you for your insight
Please let me know if you are aware of high court cases where residential care /custody arrangements have been reversed in favor of the alienated parent in order to give the child and parent an opportunity to re-establish their previous bond. There are few precedents in true PAS cases where this has happened in South Africa, to my knowledge.
My current work:
I am a school social worker in a disadvantaged area of South Africa who does a great deal of mediation and many parenting plans between feuding parents. I see the effect of this on children. I also work in private practice supervising contact between alienated parents and their children. I want to assist alienated families in being re-united so that children can have the benefit of knowing both sides of the family. Thanks and I hope to hear from other members. See http://www.aswica.co.za
A published saying on the DIg website struck a chord:
“Someday you’ll realize the damage you’ve caused”.
In 2007, I was abused by my now ex-husband and three eldest children. I called my then husband and said: “To use our children against their own mother is wrong and you will be punished for that.”
He replied, “Whose going to punish me, you?”
To that response I replied, “To use our children against me, their own mother, is wrong as they will suffer long term from what they have done to me; and no I will not punish you but God will as what you did was wrong.”
He then asked: “Who is going to punish me, you?”
I replied, “No, but God will because what you did was wrong”.
My then husband let out an evil laugh and ended the call.
The parental alienation and abuse has not stopped and continues to this day. As a direct result I suffer from flashbacks and episodes of PTSD.
The NSW Legal system aided and abetted the abuser, which empowered him.