What is Parental Alienation and How Can Therapists Successfully Treat it? Curt and Katie chat about a controversial topic: Parental Alienation. We look at what parental alienation is, the controversies and complexities surrounding this process, how to assess for parental alienation, and how to effectively treat the family system. We talk about how traditional therapy methods are inadequate and potentially harmful in these cases and what to do instead.  This is a continuing education podcourse. Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com! In this podcast episode we explore Parental Alienation We both have worked with families that   What is Parental Alienation? The impact a parent/guardian has over how a child interacts with another parent/guardian Complex dynamic within a family where conflict is present Breakdown of relationship based on behavior of alienating parent toward targeted parent The Four Factor Model from Baker (2020) How do you assess for Parental Alienation? Challenges with correctly identifying this process/dynamic Controversies and lack of recognition of Parental Alienation as a separate diagnosis from Parent-Child Relational Problem Identifying what Parental Alienation is not Clues that stories from kids are manufactured versus authentic stories of child abuse The need for access to the full family system to obtain sufficient information Exploring: What is alienating behavior? How does it work? Effective Case Conceptualization and Treatment for Parental Alienation “Research actually shows [for parental alienation] that only working with one part of the system and in a very isolated way, can sometimes create more harm in the system.” – Curt Widhalm, LMFT The importance of a family systems approach Involvement of government systems Uncovering the generational or individual trauma for all members of the system How to engage the tools available to advocate for important treatment elements to be in place The importance of understanding scope and how to write recommendations to court Preventing therapist shopping and treatment avoidance Harmful recommendations that can hinder progress within these systems “Don't be alone with these cases. Don't keep your observations to yourself – I think whether it's with a treatment team or your own consultation or your own therapy - these things can bring so much up in therapists because of their own stories, their own history and the just the intensity of what's happening in these systems.” – Katie Vernoy, LMFT Treatment teaming and avoiding isolation Educating about Parental Alienation Supporting the targeted parent to improve the relationship with the child Working with alienating parent to prepare for improvement in child’s relationship with targeted parenting Co-parenting and conflict resolution Therapist communication with all members of the system   Our Generous Sponsors for this episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide: GreenOak Accounting  At GreenOak Accounting, they believe that every private practice should be profitable. They’ve worked with hundreds of practice owners across the country to have the financial confidence and information to make data-driven decisions. We want our client's businesses to be profitable so they can focus on fulfilling their mission. GreenOak Accounting specializes in working with therapists in private practice, and they have helped hundreds of therapists across the country reach their financial goals. They offer a number of monthly packages to fit a growing practice's needs - from bookkeeping to CFO services. Other specialized services include Profit First Support, compensation planning, and customized KPI Dashboards. They help therapists achieve their clinical goals by making sure they have a profitable practice, and offer unsurpassed support along the way. If you’re interested in scheduling a complimentary consultation, please visit their website at www.GreenOakAccounting.com/consultation to lear