Family law disputes can be emotionally challenging, particularly when conflict between parents affects the parent-child relationship. Parental alienation—when one parent undermines a child’s relationship with the other parent—creates profound emotional harm and can significantly influence decisions regarding the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities. Recognizing these behaviors early and taking appropriate action is essential to protecting your child’s wellbeing and your parental relationship.
What is Parental Alienation?
Parental alienation occurs when one parent engages in behaviors and manipulation that damage or interfere with the child’s relationship with the other parent. These behaviors manifest in three distinct forms:
Active Alienation: Deliberate attempts to undermine the child’s relationship with the other parent through calculated actions.
Obsessive Alienation: Intentional conduct driven by intense animosity toward the other parent, often marked by persistent and extreme behavior.
Naive Alienation: Unintentional harm caused when a parent fails to control emotional reactions or speaks negatively about the other parent without conscious awareness.
Parental alienation may involve the following behaviors and conduct:
- Badmouthing or criticizing the other parent in the child’s presence
- Spreading false information or making unfounded accusations about the other parent
- Restricting, limiting, or interfering with contact and communication between the child and the other parent
- Making the child feel guilty for expressing love and affection for the other parent
- Using the child as a spy or messenger regarding the other parent’s activities
- Repeatedly reinforcing negative ideas about the other parent
- Forcing the child to choose sides or declare loyalty
- Claiming the other parent doesn’t love or care about the child
- Dismissing or devaluing gifts, time, or gestures from the other parent
- Blaming the other parent for the separation or divorce in age-inappropriate ways
- Withholding important information about the child from the other parent
- Making major decisions about the child without consulting the other parent
- Referring to a stepparent or new partner as the child’s parent
- Unofficially changing the child’s name or refusing to acknowledge the other parent’s surname
- Scheduling competing activities during the other parent’s parenting time
- Suggesting or implying that the other parent is dangerous or harmful without basis
Being aware of the signs of parental alienation is essential for parents who are involved in disputes concerning the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities. Taking the necessary steps as soon as alienation has been identified can help minimize the impact of this behavior on your child, preserve your parent-child relationship, and promote healthy co-parenting.
How Does Parental Alienation Affect Children?
The consequences of parental alienation extend far beyond the targeted parent-child relationship. Children may internalize false perceptions that create confusion about their own identity and sense of security – not only destructive to the parent-child relationship but also producing serious negative effects on a child’s emotional wellbeing.
Immediate effects often include depression, anxiety, diminished self-esteem, academic difficulties, challenges forming friendships, anger toward the alienated parent, and emotional disconnection. Long-term consequences can persist into adolescence and adulthood, and it manifests as substance abuse, eating disorders, difficulty maintaining healthy relationships, increased mental health challenges, and profound grief over the lost relationship with the targeted parent.
Therapeutic intervention provides essential support for children experiencing parental alienation. A qualified therapist can help children process trauma, work through confusion, and rebuild their bond with the alienated parent. Therapeutic intervention can also assist a parent in how to discuss these sensitive matters with the children in a manner that the children can understand, and helps to avoid that parent from engaging in naive alienation with how they respond. Importantly, the therapist will be able to provide documentation of a child’s feelings and how the actions and statements of the alienating parent have affected a child.
How Does Parental Alienation Impact the Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities in Ohio?
Ohio courts prioritize the child’s best interests when determining the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, and they treat parental alienation as a serious concern. When proven, the court may implement several remedies:
- Modification of parenting time to increase the targeted parent’s time with the child
- Court orders directing the alienating parent to cease harmful behavior
- Transfer of sole parental rights and responsibilities to the non-alienating parent in severe cases
- Supervised visitation for the alienating parent
- Mandatory counseling or co-parenting classes
An evaluation, as well as input from a Guardian ad Litem, may be necessary to substantiate alienation claims and assess their severity. This comprehensive process typically includes interviews with both parents and relevant parties, observation of parent-child interactions, and psychological testing. Based on these findings, the court may order reunification therapy, counseling, or adjust parenting arrangements to serve the child’s wellbeing.
It is also critical for a parent to engage in self-reflection when parental alienation occurs. Parental alienation often succeeds because there is some behavior that the child sees or statements made by the alienated parent that substantiate the allegations in the child’s mind. For example, if the alienating parent is trying to paint the other parent as physically or verbally abusive, the alienated parent needs to be conscientious of how they are handling discipline. Yelling or physically grabbing the child in anger can reinforce alienating statements in a child’s mind. This is another reason why professional therapeutic intervention can help an alienated parent address alienation issues.
While Ohio courts favor shared parenting arrangements whenever possible, proving parental alienation requires substantial evidence. Taking the following steps when parental alienation is suspected is critical:
- Preserve all relevant communications: text messages, emails, social media posts, voicemails, and recorded phone conversations (where legally permissible)
- Document instances where the other parent interfered with scheduled parenting time, including last-minute cancellations, denied visits, or refusal to facilitate exchanges
- Keep records of missed phone calls or video chats, including screenshots of unanswered attempts to contact your child
- Save evidence of disparaging statements, such as screenshots of social media posts visible to the child or messages sent through the child
- Identify individuals who have observed the alienating behaviors, including family members, teachers, coaches, therapists, or other parents so your attorney can subpoena them or ask that a Guardian ad Litem interview them
- Obtain copies of school records, medical records, or extracurricular activity schedules that show you were excluded from important decisions or notifications
- Document any false allegations made to authorities, schools, or medical professionals, along with any evidence refuting those claims
- Make note of instances where the child repeats phrases or expresses sentiments that mirror the other parent’s language or views
- Photograph or preserve physical evidence, such as returned gifts, destroyed items from you, or letters/notes from the other parent
Contact Experienced Ohio Family Law Attorneys
If you are being subjected to parental alienation, or have been accused of this type of conduct, it’s important to have the representation of an experienced family law attorney who can help you understand your options and protect your parental rights and your child’s emotional health. Located in Green, Ohio – halfway between the Akron and Canton courthouses – Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates, LLC provides trusted representation to clients for a wide range of family law matters. Contact Melissa Graham-Hurd and Associates to schedule a consultation to learn how we can help.
