Problems with the 2008 APA Policy on Parental Alienation

The APA last revised its parental alienation policy statement in 2008. Here are a summary of its problems:

• The APA's Dr. Farberman acknowledged gets misinterpreted.

• The APA's Dr. Silva criticizes the study upon which it is based, saying it is “outdated” and “in need of review” , while declining to make it available.

• The 2008 APA policy uses about 80 innuendo filled words to say it has the APA has "no official policy" when simply removing those 80 words would more clearly state the same thing.

• It was taken down for a few weeks in April, 2016, and then a few weeks later, put back up. Somebody at the APA does not think it is a good policy.

• It breaks the natural alliance between child victims of psychological abuse and victims of domestic violence.

• Even worse, it stands in stark contrast to the Department of Justice statement that points out that domestic violence includes "damaging one's relationship with his or her children."

• It fails to educate mental health professionals, as described in the press, “In January 2014, Steven Miller, MD, an expert in clinical reasoning and a specialist in alienation and estrangement, testified in front of a legislative task force that was investigating the family court system. Among other things, he pointed out that "this field is highly counter-intuitive to anyone who does not have extensive training and experience dealing with it . . . most people will usually get it wrong."

• It fails to address the concerns expressed by Dr. Craig Childress, PsyD, "The mental health response to the family pathology created by narcissistic and borderline personality parents is marked by rampant and clear professional incompetence, yet the APA remains silent to the pleas of loving parents for professional competence.

• The left hand of the APA tells parenting coordinators that "Of greatest concern is the pattern of violence characterized by coercion and control, psychological abuse, intimidation and threats of harm, economic control, and often severe physical and sexual violence. Victims of such violence are at very high risk following separation and in contested custody cases and may be best served before and after divorce by court intervention" and "Knowledge pertinent to parents involved in the parenting coordination process includes the dynamics of parents with continuing high levels of conflict, including how personal-ity disorders, mental illness, and substance use contribute to disputes; the impact of high parental conflict on the quality of parenting" but the 2008 policy basically says "don't worry about this, be happy."

  • There is a contradiction between the APA parenting coordinator guidelines and the 2008 APA Policy on Parental Alienation. Parenting coordinators have appropriate guidelines relevant to parental alienation but not all the other mental health providers who get involved. (Admittedly, the APA has guidelines for custody evaluators but not all the other mental health professionals who become involved?) For example, the APA say that parenting coordinators should “maintain specialized knowledge and training in psychological domains that are relevant” … “include[ing] the dynamics of post-separation situations, such as refusal to visit a parent, parental undermining of the child’s relationships with the other parent … inappropriate involvement of the child in parental disputes” … “including how personality disorders, mental illness …. Contribute”. “Of greatest concern is the pattern of violence characterized by coercion and control, psychological abuse, intimidations and threats of harm, [and] economic control." By contrast, everyone else reads the 2008 APA statement on “no official position”. Incidentally, one of the primary references that the APA uses for parenting coordinator guidelines is Johnston. Johnston basically articulated pathogenic parenting in 1998, included an entire chapter on delusions related to divorce, and had over a dozen highly quotable statements.For a summary of 40 research studies on psychological control, see Stone, Buehler, and Barber.

Please sign the petition to request that the APA update it's policy.

Relevant News articles:

• Stephen Krasner in the Huffington post in Sep 2016 about the APA needing to show leadership

• Edward Kruk in Psychology Today in Aug 2016 on Professional Misunderstanding of Parental Alienation

• Parent Herald, August 2016 on Parents Protesting at the APA