Agenda:

Doors open at 8 a.m.

Refreshments and light snacks will be available. Each participant will receive a new copy of Dr. Reay’s book called Toxic Divorce and an official receipt.

8:30 am – 10:15 am

10:15 am BREAK (refreshments & light snacks)

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm LUNCH (on your own)

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm BREAK (refreshments & light snacks)

2:45 pm – 4:30 pm

ADJOURN

KEY TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

  • Why it is important to learn about PA & PAS
  • Up-to-date facts on the proposal submitted to the DSM-V Task Force of the American Psychiatric Association for the inclusion of parental alienation in the upcoming Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) and the ICD-11
  • Why it is important not to jump to conclusions
  • Seven different reasons why children and youth may refuse contact with a parent that aren’t necessarily related to PA or PAS
  • Normal preferences for a child or youth to prefer one parent over the other in intact, blended, separating, divorcing, and divorced families
  • What the distinct differences are between PA and PAS
  • The eight primary manifestations of PAS
  • The dynamics that lead to PA, a legitimate form of justifiable estrangement and the dynamics that lead to PAS, a legitimate form of unjustifiable processes
  • The prevalence of PAS
  • Variations in the severity of PAS
  • Long-term consequences of PAS
  • Psychological characteristics of alienated children and youth
  • Developmental issues that may contribute to PAS
  • Psychological characteristics of alienating parents
  • Factors that fuel PAS including issues relating to the present structures of the legal system and being aware of therapist alienation
  • The importance of choosing an effective lawyer and how
  • The importance of choosing an effective mental health professional and how
  • Why It’s important for alienated parents and professionals to take swift action and to never give up
  • Evidence-based tools and strategies to help alienated parents and children
    • Alienated parents will learn ways to overcome the emotional roller coaster ride, deal with the inevitability of anger, learn how to get rid of counterproductive thinking and use productive thinking, learn strategies to rise above the stress and ways to behave their way out of things they fear
    • Professionals will learn how to provide effective evidence-based treatment for this specialized population

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

  • RECOGNIZE the red flags for family alienation
  • UNDERSTAND factors that ignite alienation in children and youth
  • LEARN numerous tools and techniques for the varying stages of PAS
  • LEARN how to employ user-friendly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) based strategies for alienated families
  • HOW to stop parental alienation from destroying so many families
  • WHAT not to do­— strategies that don’t work for alienated parents and alienated children or youth