Parental alienation, also known as parental estrangement or parental alienation syndrome, is an emotional and psychological condition that occurs when a child rejects a parent’s love or affection. Parental alienation can happen in any family situation but is most common when one parent tries to convince their child or children that the other parent isn’t worthy of their love.
This guide from Trapp Law, LLC will discuss some warning signs of parental alienation and what steps you can take if you suspect or believe your child has been affected by this emotional abuse.
What is Parental Alienation?
Alienation from one’s parent is a form of child abuse. By telling their children untruths about the other parent and portraying themselves as the only reliable provider for their needs, one parent can turn their children against the other. In most cases, this results in a breakdown of the relationship between a child and their other parent.
When Does Parental Alienation Happen?
Parental alienation is a serious issue that can affect your relationship with your children, even when you are the parent who is not being alienated. Act quickly if you believe your child is being alienated from you by the other parent.
Parental alienation can happen in many different ways, including:
- Denying contact between one or both parents and the children
- Giving negative information about either parent to the children
This kind of behavior makes it difficult for children to trust their parents. They may also have trouble forming relationships with others as they get older because they have been affected by parental alienation during childhood.
How to Prove Parental Alienation in Indiana
In Indiana, there are several ways you can prove that parental alienation has occurred and that the other parent causes it.
Be Aware of The Signs
When examining the evidence in a parental alienation case, it is important to be aware of the signs that are associated with parental alienation. Many different types of behavior can indicate that parental alienation has occurred. These behaviors include:
- The child is angry with one parent and happy with the other.
- The child has a negative view of one parent and a positive view of the other.
- The child is secretive about one parent.
- The child refuses to visit or call one parent.
- The child reports false information about one parent’s actions or character.
- The child is coached or encouraged by one parent to behave in a certain way toward the other parent.
Gather Evidence
You must gather evidence to prove the specific behaviors and parental alienation in your case.
- Documentation: This includes photos, videos, doctor’s notes, and letters from school personnel and other third parties.
- Testimony from third parties: It is important to have testimony from any witnesses who can corroborate what happened in court. These people may include teachers or extended family members as well as friends or neighbors that saw or heard inappropriate things being said by one parent about another.
Understand the Criteria
There must be a pattern of behavior to prove that your child has been alienated from you by the other parent. The criteria are if the child is alienated from one parent and the other parent’s behavior causes it. Then it is parental alienation. The behavior must be ongoing for at least six months.
If these criteria are met, our child custody attorneys can help you establish a case and proceed with getting an order on behalf of our client, making sure that this will not continue any longer, and seek a remedy such as visitation.
Develop a Strategy
As you prepare to fight your case, you must develop a strategy for proving parental alienation. To prove parental alienation, you need to gather evidence supporting your claim and understand the criteria for parental alienation. You also must be aware of the signs of parental alienation and its possible effects on children. Finally, an Indianapolis family law attorney can help protect your rights as a parent in court.
Contact an Indianapolis Parental Alienation Attorney
When you’re a victim of parental alienation, it can be hard to know where to turn. You want to protect yourself and your children from the emotional abuse they are experiencing, but you don’t know how to prove that the parent is alienating them from you.
You’re not alone. Many people have been through this experience and have found that it’s not easy to prove or even prove in court. That’s why you need to contact a parental alienation lawyer who can help you navigate this difficult time. Trapp Law, LLC can help guide you through the process of winning your case and getting what’s best for your kids!
Seek out expert testimony on parental alienation.
If you have reason to believe that the other parent has brainwashed your child, you may want to consult with an expert in parenting issues or psychology who can offer insight into how this happened and how it might be reversed. You must choose an expert not connected with either parent’s legal team, so they can give an unbiased opinion about what happened and how it could be fixed in court.
Conclusion
In short, to prove parental alienation in Indianapolis, you must first figure out whether the parent has engaged in a pattern of behaviors that makes it impossible for the other parent to maintain a healthy relationship with their children. If that’s the case, you’ll need to show that the pattern has persisted for at least two years and that fixing the situation is impossible.
If you are a parent accused of parental alienation, you must take steps to defend yourself against the accusations. There are various ways to prove parental alienation in Indiana, but they all require a lawyer like those at Trapp Law, LLC. Contact us today; they have experience with these types of cases and can help you defend yourself against allegations of parental alienation.