What You Can
Do About It

What Can You Do About Parental Alienation?

At Kraayeveld Law, we represent targeted parents with the unrelenting and aggressive representation that is necessary to reach a successful result. Often during our first phone call with a client, we immediately hear the symptoms of parental alienation. Some examples of those symptoms are:

• Has your child suddenly drawn away from you?
• Is your child pressured to call the other parent numerous times during your visit?
• Have you been falsely accused of abuse?
• Does the other parent constantly have excuses to cancel, restrict or limit parenting time?
• Does the other parent avoid providing you with information about your child?
• Has your child been taken to a counselor and you were not notified or the counselor has a one-sided view of you?
• Does the other parent bad-mouth you in front of the children?

Each case is unique, which is why it is so important to get help from professionals who know and understand parental alienation. 

There Are Some Things That You Can Do Immediately:

• Start a journal to keep track of problems.
• Become involved; even if the other parent or child claims that the child does not want you involved in his or her life, you should still reach out and ask for medical and mental health providers’ names, appointment information, etc. If you are concerned, request a copy of the medical file.
• Exercise your court-ordered parenting time. Do not have others, such as grandparents or a new spouse, exercise your time.
• Arrive on time for your court-ordered parenting time.
• If you are denied your parenting time, file parenting time violations with the FOC.
• If the child is in counseling, contact the counselor and offer your involvement.
• Pay your court-ordered child support. Do not give the judge a reason to focus on any of your shortcomings.

What We Can Do for You

We offer a different approach to handle your case.  When the attorneys at Kraayeveld Law become involved in a parental alienation case, we discuss with the client how to best approach and litigate the case.  Parental alienation cases usually cannot be resolved with mediation, reasonableness, and therefore require aggressive and tenacious representation. Possible solutions regarding parental alienation cases are court-ordered therapy, the appointment of a guardian ad litem, the pursuit of court-ordered sanctions, and possible changes in parenting time or custody.

During therapy, the psychologist will provide the child with insight into the situation. The child needs to understand that their claim of “hating” the targeted parent is baseless. The child needs to become comfortable loving the targeted parent without repercussions from the alienated parent. Usually, the alienating parent must be ordered to go to therapy as well to learn why they became an alienator, to understand possible consequences of the alienation, and learn to avoid alienation. Alienating parents are often very manipulative, sometimes have additional mental health diagnoses, and for that reason, an experienced psychologist must be appointed.

Any targeted parent who has gone to court because their parenting time was violated knows how frustrating and difficult those court proceedings can be. Parents have told us that instead of getting makeup parenting time, the alienating parent was allowed to continue the denial of parenting time. For this reason, it is extremely important to retain an attorney with significant experience in parental alienation cases before filing such a motion. There are many factors to consider, such as the assigned judge, the reason for the denial, and the history of the case.   The attorneys at Kraayeveld Law have successfully pursued makeup parenting time, sanctions, and preventative measures in court orders and when necessary obtained a change of custody, periods of no contact when rehabilitative counseling was ongoing, and supervised parenting time.

A final word to some parents on the other side of the spectrum: Our firm has represented countless clients who have been falsely accused of alienating behavior. Invariably, when a parent appropriately protects his or her child, the other parent will argue parental alienation. This is a difficult balancing act for judges, psychologists and lawyers. Our decades of experience in this field, thorough review of a case and close relationships with experts will allow our firm to successfully represent you against false allegations of parental alienation syndrome.

Reach Out to a Grand Rapids Parental Alienation Attorney Today 

Regardless of which approach you and your attorneys choose to pursue, each approach is difficult, time-consuming, and mentally tiring for the targeted parent. The financial and emotional cost is high, and difficult to bear when the targeted parent is kept from being able to love and care for one’s children.

Contact the attorneys at Kraayeveld Law to schedule a consultation and create a plan of action to stop parental alienation. Parental alienation will not stop without intervention. Start your intervention today by calling 616-285-0808.