Clinical Decision-Making in Parent–Child Contact Problem Cases

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the continuum along which parent–child contact problems may be conceptualized and differentiated and addresses how legal and clinical interventions may be tailored to the nature and severity of the problem in a particular family. Parent–child contact problems include affinity, alignment, justified rejection, and alienation as well as hybrid cases, each of which can range from mild to severe. Which of these problems is observed in a given family and parent–child relationship depends on numerous factors, including the child’s developmental stage, whether a parent has engaged in parental alienating behaviors, whether and when there was violence between the parents, and whether a parent was abusive or neglectful of the child. The chapter provides an overview of psychoeducational and clinical interventions for mild, moderate, and severe cases. It also explicates protocols for managing initial queries, preliminary screening, clinical intake, and contracting for such interventions.