Divorce Casualties: Keeping Your Children Close While You're Breaking Apart [Paperback]

Dr. Darnall does a great job of diagnosing the dynamics of this problem. A great resource...Children have a right to a loving relationship with both parents, and this book teaches us all how to ensure that this basic need is met.During divorce, children are often dragged into the fray, becoming innocent casualties. Although research has shown that a child's development depends on the parents' ability to protect their child from conflict, many couples fight indignantly over custody and visitation rights. The second edition of Divorce Casualties expands upon the evidence found through extensive research and stresses the importance of both parents' participation in actively raising their children while going through a divorce.Some parents consciously, blatantly, and even maliciously denigrate their ex-spouse through negative comments and actions. Others simply sigh or tense up at the mention of the targeted parent, causing guilt and anxiety in the children. The result is a child full of hate, fear, and rejection toward an unknowing and often undeserving parent. Exploring issues such as secrecy, spying, false accusations, threats and discipline, Divorce Casualties recognizes the often subtle causes of alienation, teaching you to prevent or minimize its damaging effects on your children. Dr. Darnall's practical techniques for understanding the effects of alienation, including characteristics of alienators, symptoms of alienators, a self-report inventory and exercises, and real-life examples, will help even the most well-intentioned of parents renew their commitment to helping their child maintain a healthy, happy relationship with both parents.Douglas Darnall, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and CEO of PsyCare, Inc. having nine outpatient mental health clinics in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. He teaches workshops on parental alienation syndrome and divorce to the professional community. He has served as a consultant in eleven states and has appeared on Cl³