What Is Parental Alienation Syndrome?

Lawyers Advocating for Victims of Parental Alienation 

Custody, visitation, and child support are some of the most sensitive issues that must be addressed in San Diego's family courts. Unfortunately, sometimes parents use their children as tools to retaliate against their former spouses or partners after a divorce or disagreement.

Parental Alienation Syndrome occurs when a child's actions and feelings toward one parent are negatively impacted as the result of one parent's constant disparaging of the other. Children are very sensitive to influence from people they love and trust, such as a parent, so these types of actions can be very damaging to the other parent's relationship with the child.

Common Signs of Parental Alienation Syndrome

If your child has recently acted unusually cold or distant toward you and your relationship is suffering as a result, he or she may be exhibiting the symptoms. The most common signs of Parental Alienation Syndrome include:

• The child inexplicably becomes withdrawn or avoids you
• The child is antagonistic toward you
• The child makes wild and baseless accusations against you
• The child seems to lack independent thinking
• The child feels guilty if they are loving or kind to you
• The child is proud and unremorseful when they are cruel to you
• The child is suddenly fiercely protective of the other parent
• The child parrots the opinions of the other parent
• The child uses mature, adult phrases when explaining why they don't want to see you
• The child blames you for the end of your relationship with the other parent
• The child suddenly withdraws from your relatives or claims they hate them

If your child is exhibiting any of these signs and you believe you are a victim of parental alienation, it is important to discuss your legal options with a skilled lawyer right away.

Protect Your Relationship with Your Child

At Claery & Hammond, LLP we are dedicated to helping parents preserve their relationships with their precious children. If you believe your former spouse or partner is trying to harm your relationship and is turning your child against you, we can take action in court. Our attorneys can assist you with filing for a modification of the current custody or visitation order to provide you with more time with your child or to seek that your child is exposed to the other parent's damaging behavior less.

We can advocate for your before the judge and help you fight to end this devastating situation. Contact an attorney from Claery & Hammond, LLP today to discuss your legal options!