LEGAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF CASES WITH AN ALIENATED CHILD |
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| Authors: | Matthew J Sullivan Joan B Kelly |
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| Institution: | Matthew J. Sullivan, Ph. D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Palo Alto, California, specializing in working with high-conflict child custody situations. He received his A. B. from Stanford University and his Ph. D. from University of Maryland. He has been a member of the teaching faculty at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and the clinical faculty at Stanford University Medical School.;Joan B. Kelly, Ph. D., is a clinical and research psychologist who has published extensively in the area of divorce and children's adjustment, custody and access, and custody and divorce mediation. She provides consultation and seminars to family lawyers, judges, mental health professionals, and mediators serving separated and divorced families. |
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| Abstract: | Cases entering the family court with an alienated child require intensive and coordinated case management to intervene effectively. It is critical to link the authority of the court with the delivery of mental health services to address the complex systemic factors that may entrench a chilďs unwarranted rejection of a parent. This article provides principles of legal and psychological case management for families with an alienated child, followed by various structural interventions, including sample court orders, for managing these cases as they progress through the family court process. Finally, criteria for making custody recommendations in the most severe cases of child alienation are provided. |
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