| Abstract: | Children who are triangulated into their parents' conflicts can become polarized, aligning with one parent and rejecting the other. In response, courts often order families to engage mental health professionals to provide reunification interventions. This article adapts empirically established systematic desensitization and flooding procedures most commonly used to treat phobic children as possible components of a larger family systems invention designed to help the polarized child develop a healthy relationship with both parents. Strengths and weaknesses of these procedures are discussed and illustrated with case material. Key Points for the Family Court Community - Family law and psychology agree that children should have the opportunity to enjoy a healthy relationship with both parents
- Adult conflict can polarize a child's relationships, including rejection of one parent
- Existing clinical and forensic “reunification” strategies often prove inadequate
- Reliable and valid cognitive behavioral methods can be adopted to facilitate this process
- A cognitive‐behavioral “exposure‐based” reunification protocol is discussed
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