Attorney and Lawyer Training Materials for Parental Alienation

There are countless stories of legal outcomes where the alienator outmaneuvered the erased parent, where the child was sent to reunification therapy that was utterly ineffective, and where the attorney / lawyer representing the erased parent did not understand parental alienation, or that severe parental alienation is child psychological abuse. Due to new training materials, these stories need not be as common. Below please find outstanding material from Brian Ludmer, Demosthenes Lorandos, J Michael Bone, and Robert Evans.

Disclaimer: The web site authors have no medical or legal credentials and none of this is intended as specific legal or medical advice.

Training Material from Elite Parental Alienation Attorney Brian Ludmer Esquire:

    • 6 hour Continuing Education Class, taught be elite parental alienation attorney Brian Ludmer, Esquire, Jill Egizze (President of Parental Alienation Awareness USA), and Sandra McMullin (therapist in Canton Ohio) at the Columbus Ohio Bar Association. Specific topics include "the killer crossex question", and "what therapy will actually work". This class will be replayed at the Columbus Bar Association on August 9th 2017 and August 16th 2017. (These classes cost money, but we recommend that you negotiate with your attorney so that this training is not billed to you, but rather, used to meet their required hours of continuing education. It may be possible for attorneys outside Columbus to contact the Columbus Bar Association to get this class qualified for their CLE credits. The Columbus Bar Association also has agreements with some other bar associations, where the other bar association can show this class at their facility so attorneys can get in-person credits).

    • See this article in the NJ Law Journal

    • The 141 page slide deck for the above class is also available, even if you do not take the class. It is entitled "Managing the Parental Alienation Case, April 5, 2016." However, the hi level bullet points in the slide deck are only filled in by the class above.

    • Brian Ludmer is available to provide high level consultation to attorneys on their strategy for parental alienation. Your attorney can just call him for a consult.

    • Managing the Voice of the Child in a Parental Alienation Case: Judicial Interviews and Children's Suggestibility, a 67 page slide deck presented at the First Annual PASG Conference, October 21-23, 2017. Judicial Interviews and Children's Suggestibility. Who, What, When, Where, Why the Voice of the Child. Methods for Conveying the Voice of the Child. Implications from Neuroscience. Discounting the Voice of the Child in Alienation Cases. Judicial Reviews not Recommended. Judicial Explanations and Review Orders with Parents Covenants and Structured Therapeutic Intervention Recommended, Evidence Law Issues, Discounting the View of Children's Counsel. Here is the presentation at the 2017 First International Conference of the Parental Alienation Study Group:

    • Ludmer Law Library Section 5 - Failed Therapy Quotes from Jurisprudence Read 12 pages of priceless quotes about therapy that doesn't work

    • Ludmer Law Library Section 7 - How Memory Works - A tremendous bibliography on manipulating children to make untrue statements

    • Ludmer Law Library Section 8 - Suggestibility, Delusion, and Lying

    • Ludmer Law Library Section 9 - Parenting Library - Parents Should Read this Material to come off in court as a better parent. Information on state of the art parenting

    • Ludmer Law Library Section 10 - Interim Notice of Notice of Motion with Parenting Covenants - A priceless example of what this motion should look like

    • Article written by Brian Ludmer that summarizes what treatments work, which don't and why The class above expands on this article

    • Interview with Brian Ludmer on Legal Strategies Brian Ludmer is perhaps the foremost Parental Alienation attorney. Although this is used as an advertisement for a different law firm, the points remain valid. "Q: What can you do to combat an alienating parent? Brian Ludmer: Well, the key thing is you need to strictly, frequently, and early on assert your right to the access you are supposed to have with your child. Most of the problems result from people being too timid or delaying the problem thinking there is some therapeutic answer. You can’t really stop false allegations from being made, and quite often the fact they’re being made can be used to your advantage .... Most alienators will fold rather than actually go on the stand at a trial ...question the aligned parent under oath during the case, you can get some amazing admissions that then inform the custody assessment and the judge. So, the idea is to expose them — not allow them to hide behind false affidavits and lawyer’s letters — and that typically will force their hand." [This should not be misunderstood as legal advice from this site.]

    • The High Conflict Custody Battle Useful material for clients of attorneys:"Is your ex-spouse trying to gain custody of your kids? Has he or she launched a campaign to make you look like a bad parent, both in the eyes of your children and the law? You aren’t alone. Unfortunately, high-conflict custody battles are all-too-common in today’s world. So how can you arm yourself with the mental and legal resources needed to survive this difficult time and keep your kids safe? In The High-Conflict Custody Battle, a team of legal and psychology experts present a practical guidebook for people like you who are engaged in a high-conflict custody battle. If you are dealing with an overtly hostile, inflammatory, deceitful, or manipulative ex-spouse, you will learn how to find and work with an attorney and prepare for a custody evaluation. The book also provides helpful tips you can use to defend yourself against false accusations, and gives a realistic portrayal of what to expect during a legal fight. Going through a divorce is hard, but going through a custody battle can feel like war. Don’t go in unprepared. With this book as your guide, you will be able to navigate this difficult process and learn powerful skills that will help you maintain a healthy relationship with your kids, fight unfair accusations, and uphold your rights as a parent."

    • Brian Ludmer youtube videos:

        1. 10 Minute interview with Brian Ludmer, it starts about 2 minutes in. It is just prior to a 2010 Parental Alienation Conference in New York:

        1. One hour presentation by Brian Ludmer at PAA0 2013: "mediation is contra-indicated, it is a delay tactic", "traditional therapy absolutely does not work", "waiting for some third party report never works", "letting the child figure it out for themselves never works", "must be proactive", "therapy does not solve these cases, it is only an assist, only spending time and creating new memories works", "traditional therapy never works", "you cannot talk a child out of an alienation dynamic":

        1. Brian Ludmer at "University of Toronto's Men's Issues Awareness Nov 29 2015" (16 minutes):

Training Material from Elite Parental Alienation Attorney Demosthenes Lorandos Esquire:

Training Material from Elite Pathogenic Parenting Psychologist Dr. Craig Childress:

Training Material from Elite Consultants J Michael Bone and Dr. Robert Evans:

  • Training Material from J Michael Bone

    • Why Parental Alienation Cases Must be Presented Differently, Part 2, by J Michael Bone

    • There are free podcasts from J Michael Bone.

    • According to J. Michael Bone, "There is a very significant distinction between the role of a therapist & the role of an evaluator in child custody cases involving Parental Alienation, and they are as different as night and day. It is surprising that very often, Family Law Judges are not aware of this, and therefore issue unclear and ambiguous orders."

  • J Michael Bone Speaking at the First International Conference of the Parental Alienation Study Group on Trial Strategy with Parental Alienation Cases:

Important Information from the American Bar Association:

Materials from other sources:

    • According to the American Academy of Matrimonial lawyers, lawyers have an ethical obligation to protect the children, an obligation that exceeds their duty to their paying client. See also their duty to report child abuse.

    • For more information, see effective treatment plans.

    • If you would like your local Bar Association or state psychological association to teach a class on parental alienation, you may wish to contact Howie Dennison for pointers

    • From the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers: Parental Alienation: Overview,Management, Intervention,and Practice Tips

    • Here are tips for parents in court from the High Conflict Institute

    • The law of parental alienation in Ohio In the United States, each state and each county seem to have their own favorite cases, with less emphasis on shared jurisprudence. See Brian Ludmer's slide deck.

    • According to J. Michael Bone, "There is a very significant distinction between the role of a therapist & the role of an evaluator in child custody cases involving Parental Alienation, and they are as different as night and day. It is surprising that very often, Family Law Judges are not aware of this, and therefore issue unclear and ambiguous orders."

Other worthwhile topics on this web site:

Older version of this web page, before re-organization:

  1. Comments by Dr. Childress on Reunification Therapy: On Unicorns, The Tooth Fairy, and Reunification Therapy

    1. Severe parental alienation rises to the level of Child Psychological Abuse (DSM 5 V995.51) and if these 3 symptoms are present, the therapist should diagnose it as psychological child abuse, as explained in Foundations, turning it into a child protection issue, not a child custody issue.

    2. Free Professional Training Course for Family Counselors and Family Law Attorneys from the National Coalition Against Parental Alienation. This endorsed from the main page of the Parental Alienation Study Group.

    3. Children Held Hostage: Identifying Brainwashed Children, Presenting a Case, and Crafting Solutions, Second Edition "How do you identify a child alienated by one parent against the other? This practical guide discusses all aspects of a case where an alienated child may be involved, from identifying the process to making the presentation in court." A legal study of 700 cases.

    4. Interview with Brian Ludmer on Legal Strategies Brian Ludmer is perhaps the foremost Parental Alienation attorney. Although this is used as an advertisement for a different law firm, the points remain valid. "Q: What can you do to combat an alienating parent? Brian Ludmer: Well, the key thing is you need to strictly, frequently, and early on assert your right to the access you are supposed to have with your child. Most of the problems result from people being too timid or delaying the problem thinking there is some therapeutic answer. You can’t really stop false allegations from being made, and quite often the fact they’re being made can be used to your advantage .... Most alienators will fold rather than actually go on the stand at a trial ...question the aligned parent under oath during the case, you can get some amazing admissions that then inform the custody assessment and the judge. So, the idea is to expose them — not allow them to hide behind false affidavits and lawyer’s letters — and that typically will force their hand." [This should not be misunderstood as legal advice from this site.]

    5. If you would like your local Bar Association or state psychological association to teach a class on parental alienation, you may wish to contact Howie Dennison for pointers

  2. Training Material from J Michael Bone

    1. Why Parental Alienation Cases Must be Presented Differently, Part 2, by J Michael Bone

    2. There are free podcasts from J Michael Bone.

    3. The High Conflict Custody Battle Useful material for clients of attorneys:

        1. "Is your ex-spouse trying to gain custody of your kids? Has he or she launched a campaign to make you look like a bad parent, both in the eyes of your children and the law? You aren’t alone. Unfortunately, high-conflict custody battles are all-too-common in today’s world. So how can you arm yourself with the mental and legal resources needed to survive this difficult time and keep your kids safe? In The High-Conflict Custody Battle, a team of legal and psychology experts present a practical guidebook for people like you who are engaged in a high-conflict custody battle. If you are dealing with an overtly hostile, inflammatory, deceitful, or manipulative ex-spouse, you will learn how to find and work with an attorney and prepare for a custody evaluation. The book also provides helpful tips you can use to defend yourself against false accusations, and gives a realistic portrayal of what to expect during a legal fight. Going through a divorce is hard, but going through a custody battle can feel like war. Don’t go in unprepared. With this book as your guide, you will be able to navigate this difficult process and learn powerful skills that will help you maintain a healthy relationship with your kids, fight unfair accusations, and uphold your rights as a parent."

    4. 10 Minute interview with Brian Ludmer, it starts about 2 minutes in. It is just prior to a 2010 Parental Alienation Conference in New York:

    1. One hour presentation by Brian Ludmer at PAA0 2013: "mediation is contra-indicated, it is a delay tactic", "traditional therapy absolutely does not work", "waiting for some third party report never works", "letting the child figure it out for themselves never works", "must be proactive", "therapy does not solve these cases, it is only an assist, only spending time and creating new memories works", "traditional therapy never works", "you cannot talk a child out of an alienation dynamic":

    1. Brian Ludmer at "University of Toronto's Men's Issues Awareness Nov 29 2015" (16 minutes):

    1. From the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers: Parental Alienation: Overview,Management, Intervention,and Practice Tips

    2. Here are tips for parents in court from the High Conflict Institute

    3. The law of parental alienation in Ohio In the United States, each state and each county seem to have their own favorite cases, with less emphasis on shared jurisprudence. See Brian Ludmer's slide deck.

    4. According to J. Michael Bone, "There is a very significant distinction between the role of a therapist & the role of an evaluator in child custody cases involving Parental Alienation, and they are as different as night and day. It is surprising that very often, Family Law Judges are not aware of this, and therefore issue unclear and ambiguous orders."

  1. Here is a discussion on recovering civil damages for being an erased parent.

  2. Here is a discussion of parental alienation being a criminal act because it is domestic violence.

Other worthwhile topics on this web site: