Parental Alienation Syndrome

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) was coined by child psychiatrist Richard A. Gardner in the early 1980’s. He used the term to describe a disorder in a child, where the child belittles and insults one of their parents on an ongoing basis, with little to no justification; therefore the reasons for PAS deals almost exclusively in the indoctrination by the other parent, which cause the child to “alienate” them from the target parent. If you need assistance with your child custody or visitation matter, you should contact a New York family law attorney for further help.

If this is the first time you have ever heard the term “parental alienation syndrome,” and if you are presently the target for PAS, you might be having an “aha moment.” The symptoms of PAS are extremely obvious, and if this is happening to you, they are unmistakable. With PAS, one parent makes every attempt to separate the child from the target parent. They might blame the other parent for the divorce, tell the child that the target parent does not love them or they may direct verbal insults at the target parent in the child’s presence. The alienating parent may go so far as to inhibit or block verbal communication between the child and target parent, and they may not allow visitation, thus impeding the relationship further.

Although Gardner initially explained that the mother was the alienator in 90% of PAS cases, he later went on to state that a mother or a father can equally alienate a child against the other parent. PAS is characterizes by hatred against the target parent, a lack of guilt over the treatment of the target parent, weak or absurd rationalizations for the hatred, use of barrowed phrases from the alienating parent and the idea that the rejection for the parent is theirs alone. Often times symptoms of PAS are so strong, that the child refuses to visit the target parent.

New York Family Law Lawyer

If you suspect you are a victim of parental alienation syndrome, you are not alone. Please, do not hesitate to contact a New York family law attorney from Brian D. Perskin & Associates, P.C. for help. We have experience in handling PAS cases and all other matters involving child custody and visitation.

Contact a New York family law lawyer from our firm for a free initial consultation.