Divorce Poison

by Warshak, Richard A.

• ISBN13: 9780061863264
• ISBN10: 0061863262
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-18
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Your ex-spouse is bad-mouthing you to your children, perhaps even trying to turn them against you. If you handle the situation ineffectively, you could lose your children's respect, their affection--even, in extreme cases, contact with them. This groundbreaking work gives parents powerful strategies to preserve and rebuild loving relationships with their children and provides legal and mental health professionals with practical advice to help their clients and ensure the welfare of children. "Divorce Poison" offers advice on how to: Recognize early warning signs of trouble React if your children refuse to see you Respond to rude and hateful behavior Avoid the seven common errors made by rejected parents

Author Biography

Dr. Richard A. Warshak is a clinical professor of psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. An international authority and consultant to parents and attorneys on divorce and parental alienation, Dr. Warshak has spoken at the White House, and his work has been featured in a PBS documentary and in media including The Early Show, Today, CNN, CTV, the New York Times, USA Today, Macleans, the London Sunday Telegraph, the Toronto Star, and Time.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xiii
A Note to the Reader	p. xv
Introduction: Stealing The Soul	p. xxvii
The Delicate Balance	p. 1
The United Front
When Silence Is Not Golden
How to Distinguish Between Helpful and Harmful Criticism
Bad-Mouthing, Bashing, And Brainwashing	p. 18
Bad-mouthing
Bashing
Brainwashing
Parental Alienation Syndrome
Children Who Resist Divorce Poison
Alienated Children	p. 34
The Hate Campaign
Trivial Explanations for the Hatred
False Abuse Accusations
Polarizing Parents: Saints and Sinners
Parroting Adults
Declaration of Independence
Hatred by Association
Alienation Without Divorce Poison
Justified Alienation
Child-Driven Alienation
Understanding the Roots of Alienation
Is It Alienation or Not?
False Accusations of Parental Alienation
Malignant Motives	p. 79
Poor Boundaries
Revenge
Narcissism
Guilt
Insecurity
Seeking Validation
Holding On with Hate
Paranoia
Reenactments
Hostility Toward the Children
Custody Litigation
Preventing Alienation During Custody Litigation
Remarriage
The Alienating Environment	p. 124
Isolation
Relocation
Kidnapping
Stripping
Fear
The Corruption of Reality	p. 142
The Name Game
Repetition
Selective Attention
Judging Behavior out of Context
Exaggeration
Lies
Concealing Contrary Facts
Revisionist History
The Total Change Theory
Suggestions and Innuendos
Exploitation
Projection
Rationalization
Holier Than Thou
With God on Our Side
"The Truth"
Overindulgence
Encroachment
Cloak and Dagger
Cognitive Dissonance
Conspiracy
Tamper-Resistant Packaging
Poison Control	p. 199
Empathy
The Power of Indirect Communication
Fly on the Wall
Two Steps Removed
Using Third Parties
Strike While the Iron Is Cold
Creating Bridges
Healing Experiences
Memorializing the Positive
The Way We Were
Sowing Seeds in the Psyche
Vacations
Divide and Conquer: The Value of Separating Siblings
Contagion Control: Helping Children Stay Neutral
With God on Our Side-Revisited
Agree to Disagree
No One's Perfect
Think for Yourself
Brainwashing 101
Films and Television
Become a Better Parent
Avoid Common Errors
Damage Control
Ann Landers's Reconciliation Day
Getting Professional Help	p. 242
When To Call the Therapist
How Therapy Can Help
How You Can Help Your Therapist
Selecting Therapists
Conditions of Treatment
Child Custody Evaluations
Options for Healing Damaged Parent-Child Relationships
Hiring an Attorney
Letting Go	p. 282
When To Let Go
How To Let Go
Staying in Touch after Letting Go
New Bridges
Alienated Children as Adults
Reconnecting with Adult Alienated Children
Coping with the Loss
Hope for the Future
Afterword: Restoring Lost Identities and Lost Relationships	p. 298
Index	p. 309
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