Training and Professional Consultation

Training/Professional Consultation/Professional Development/Mentoring

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Alienation cases take enormous resources and tend to monopolize the attention of professionals involved with the family. They will usually have had police contact, are well known to child protection agencies and health services, and have been involved with numerous community resources. These families have had multiple motions, attended numerous case conferences, and have been in front of many judges.  Unfortunately, the tendency to misidentify these cases as high conflict or estrangement will prolong the resolution of the case and the litigation.  During this time, children suffer the negative impact of the alienating parent's behaviour, become empowered, and learn that they do not necessarily have to follow court orders. Lawyers and the Court seek therapeutic remedies to assist the children whose behaviour is then identified as pathological.  In allocating responsibility for the alienation to the alienating parent, assessors, therapists, lawyers, and the court can put into place appropriate remedies that will assist the children in having healthy relationships with both parents. Early intervention will assist in the resolution of the case and reduce involvement with community resources. It is incumbent upon those who work professionally with these cases to be educated about alienation and intimate partner violence.

 

• Training for child protection advocates/judges/counsel and community agencies in managing severe alienation, including interventions with alienating parents;

• Professional consultation to assessors and other mental health professionals and the court dealing with alienation and high conflict;

• Professional development and mentoring.