What to do if You Are the Victim of Parental Alienation

Your relationship with your child has been becoming more difficult over the past few months. You pick them up for your parenting time and their disdain for you is palpable. They don’t want to spend an hour, let alone the weekend, with you. You may be the victim of parental alienation.

Parental alienation occurs when one parent emotionally manipulates the child to prefer that parent and negatively impact the child’s perception of the other parent. This can happen in any divorce, but is especially prevalent in high conflict divorces. Not only is parental alienation detrimental to your relationship with your child, but it can also cause your child to experience depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

According to Psychology Today, some of the many tactics that parents employ to alienate the other parent include:

• Speaking critically of the other parent in front of the child
• Preventing the child from communicating with the other parent
• Telling the child lies about the other parent
• Forcing the child to pick a favorite parent
• Withholding key information about the child from the other parent[1]

If you suspect that the other parent is trying to alienate your child from you, start documenting evidence of the alienation. This could include emails, texts, or social media posts. You should also document any conversations that indicate that your child is being alienated from you as well.  If you have friends or family members that have witnessed the other parent trying to alienate your child from you, your attorney can contact them to provide additional evidence. It is also important for your child to have a thorough psychological evaluation by a Florida-licensed mental health professional who can provide an expert opinion on the impact of parental alienation on your child. Depending on the details of your situation, your attorney may also request that the court appoint a guardian ad-litem (GAL) as a neutral third party to advocate for your child.

Parental alienation can be difficult to prove in court, so hiring a South Florida-based family law attorney with experience in parental alienation cases is essential. If the court finds that the other parent is trying to alienate your child from you, there are several approaches that it could take to remedy the situation:

• Require that the offending parent attend therapy sessions to learn to change their behavior.
• Increase parenting time for the parent being alienated or provide them with sole parenting responsibility.
• Require the offending parent to have supervised visitation with the child.

If you live in South Florida and believe your ex-spouse may be trying to alienate your child from you, contact Troy Legal for legal advice to help you navigate this difficult time.

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[1] Psychology Today. Identifying Parental Alienation | Psychology Today. Accessed March 10, 2025.