Intervention Strategies for Parent Coordinators in Parental Alienation Cases

Abstract

Families characterized by parental alienation present problems that are extremely difficult to resolve through conventional methods of family therapy. Court appointed parenting coordinators (P.C.) are in the very best position to make effective interventions in these cases. The authors use genograms to illustrate the difficulties of establishing normal visitation and re-negotiating binuclear families in five different cases: (1) Divorced family, minimal conflict, (2) Divorced family, conflicted relationship, (3) Divorced family, child in alignment with mother, (4) Divorced family, child estranged from father, and (5) Divorced family, parental alienation. The authors then use the genograms to suggest interventions for PC's in five areas: (1) Creating a buffer zone to facilitate crossing the co-parental boundary, (2) Helping the child separate from the enmeshment with the alienating parent, (3) Blocking intrusions from the alienating parent, (4) Strengthening the bond with the targeted parent, and (5) Weakening the coalition around the alienating parent-child dyad.