Educational Programs Regarding Parental Alienation Theory
National Association of Parental Alienation Specialists (United States)
(1) The National Association of Parental Alienation Specialists (NAOPAS) was founded by Robert A. Evans, Ph.D. And J. Michael Bone, Ph.D. NAOPAS offers an educational program regarding parental alienation theory for attorneys and mental health professionals, which is called “Effective Litigation in Family Law Cases.” This program has been approved for 17.5 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) credits by The Florida Bar. Attorneys from other states may also be eligible for these credits if their own state’s bar association has a reciprocal agreement regarding CLE’s with The Florida Bar. Also, this program has been approved for 17.5 hours of continuing education (CE) credits by The Center for Human Potential of America, Inc., which is an approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Human Potential of America is responsible for the content of the program. Registration for the online program is $425; if the registration occurs through the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG) the fee is reduced from $425 to $275. For additional information, contact Dr. Bob Evans (drevans@drbobevans.com or 001-727-786-0600).
(2) The NAOPAS also offers a 2-hour course called “Understanding Parental Alienation as Child Abuse.” Parental alienation meets the definition of child maltreatment, which constitutes child abuse according to the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), This course traces the literature that defines parental alienation as maltreatment and how it meets specific guidelines of APSAC and the existing research literature. For information, contact Dr. Bob Evans at drevans@drbobevans.com.
Institute for Family Therapy & Systemic Practice (Malta) and Parental Alienation Europe (Ireland)
The Institute for Family Therapy & Systemic Practice (IFT) and Parental Alienation Europe (PAE) created the first academically accredited “Post Graduate Certificate in Parental Alienation Studies, which is accredited by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority. The course currently in its second cycle is a comprehensive professional training program focused upon identifying, assessing, intervening, and reporting effectively with individuals and families experiencing parental alienation. The course consists of classes one weekend a month (both Saturday and Sunday, all day) over ten months; it is delivered online with live lectures from experts across the globe across social, mental, and legal professionals. Learners from Russia, China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Iceland, Malta, Ireland (north and south), Canada, United States, and New Zealand are among the group. The fee is €2,550. For additional information go to these links https://parentalalienation.eu/post-graduate-award-in-parental-alienation-studies/ or https://ift-malta.com/courses/
Following on from the success of the Postgraduate Certificate. Parental Alienation Europe, in collaboration with the Institute of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice Malta, is accepting applications for the MSc in Parental Alienation Studies, scheduled to commence in October 2023. Informal inquiries can be made to brian@parentalalienation.eu or charlie.azzorpardi@ift-malta.com.
Child Attachment and Family Trauma Training (United Kingdom)
Open-Access and Continued Professional Development (CPD) training in parental alienation.
Attachment-Led Theory and Practice in Parental Alienation (PA1) comprises 16 self-paced study lectures lasting 13.5 hours, drawing on the best practice and advice of some of the world’s top experts. This course was created by Stuart Graham, MSc (Attachment Studies), a developmental psychopathologist specializing in assessing, resolving, and educating in parental alienation. PA1 has been rolled out to child professionals in the UK and received excellent feedback. It is currently being used to train agencies acting in support of family court processes.
Years of working with alienated families and children complements the established observational literature with an etiological perspective using updated attachment, neuropsychology, and child development approaches. The risks, processes, manifestation of alienation and its short, medium, and long-term results are explained in detail. PA1 focuses on parental alienation as a serious child development and mental health issue, identifies systemic problems in child welfare agencies, and compares law and practice across different countries. Families are informed on the processes and results of alienation. Professionals are advised on how to initially assess and report toward achieving the correct assistance for children and their families.
The success of the course has enabled a recent 75% reduction in costs to extend its beneficial reach for children and families. PA1 is available in two formats: the Open Access Course Pathway provides beginner to intermediate level training for any interested individual (£45); and the more rigorous pathway with periodic testing, which is independently accredited for Continued Professional Development points (£70). The CPD points are valid worldwide.
The course manual will be available for purchase in June 2023. For additional information, please go to caftt.co.uk or contact enquiries@caftt.co.uk.
The Law Center (United States)
G. Lawrence DeMarco, LLM, partner of DeMarco & DeMarco, P.C., and founder of The Law Center YouTube Channel, produced three online programs:
(1) A video compilation of multiple articles, studies, and presentations from authors and research scientists of parental alienation theory. These materials have been compiled into a course entitled “Parental Alienation 101,” which has been approved for 3 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) credits by The Pennsylvania Bar. Attorneys from other states may also be eligible for these credits if their own state’s bar association has a reciprocal agreement regarding CLE’s with The Pennsylvania Bar. The course includes material written by Amy J. L. Baker, Ph.D., William Bernet, M.D., Demosthenes Lorandos, J.D., Ph.D., Steven Miller, M.D., Alan Blotcky, Ph.D., Linda Gottlieb, Joan Kloth-Zanard, and Randy Flood. Registration for the online program is $150 at https://courses.ourexpertinsights.com.
(2) Similar materials were compiled into “Parental Alienation 102,” which has been approved for 2 hours of CLE credits in Pennsylvania. Registration for this program is at https://courses1.ourexpertinsights.com.
(3) Family Court Custody Bootcamp: a roadmap and crash-course legal education so self-represented litigants can navigate custody court without fear of the unknown. The program also enables parents to find an attorney who can help them with their hearing, trial, or other legal issue at a fraction of the cost of traditional legal services. The modules of the curriculum include the following topics: problems with the family court, how to use technology for evidence and research, self-care, family law, assess your current situation, learn the court rules, the contested hearing/preparation/trial, how to handle a high conflict ex, parental alienation (and reunification), how to prepare for guardians ad-litem and custody evaluations, how to handle judicial bias, mediation, negotiation, how to deal with being an out of custody parent, reaching out to adult alienated children, divorce prevention, and how to defend against a PFA.
For additional information regarding these three programs, contact Larry DeMarco (glawrence.demarco@gmail.com or 215-735-6006).
