Questions for Richard Warshak and His Parental Alienation Syndrome...or Divorce Poison...or Whatever
Dear Dr. Warshak,
Dr. Amy J. Baker's research confirmed that "parental alienation" occurs in intact families--that is, families that have not been through a divorce or separation. I am sure this must have been found in other literature as well.
My question is, if parental alienation is a mental health diagnosis serious enough to warrant inclusion in the DSM V, how do you propose to treat it when the parents are still "together"? Will they get family counseling through your Bridges program? Who will be responsible for paying for it? What if the alienator doesn't cooperate? What if the child doesn't cooperate?
Or, is this not parental alienation (it definitely isn't "Divorce Poision," is it?)?