Preventing Parental Alienation

Although it is not common, parental alienation can become a problem during divorce cases. Whether you are in the middle of a divorce or are watching another couple go through their own, it is important to stop and prevent any future alienation from occurring.

The court system, as the arena where issues like shared parenting, visitation rights and custody matters are discussed, has the power to determine whether parental alienation is happening. If they believe that the early stages of alienation might be starting, it is important to provide the necessary education to attorneys and parents. Cases that are determined to be high-risk are given more attention in the court system, as this is considered to be a serious problem that must be dealt with immediately.

In some cases where the court recognizes that alienation is present, the attorney for that party might attempt to delay further actions by asking for continuances. It is vital, however, to intervene as soon as possible in order to protect any children involved in the divorce. This can be done by court-ordering parents to attend therapy together in order to create a Shared Parenting Plan. High-risk cases are often issued a Guardian Ad Litem to monitor the parent's compliance to the court-ordered plan.