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Parental Alienation and "Reunification" Camps - Berkman Bottger Newman - Schein LLP
Parental Alienation and "Reunification" Camps - Berkman Bottger Newman - Schein LLP
Please contact
us (https://www.berkbot.com/contact-us/).
866-524-9098 (tel:866-524-
9098)
The Atlantic
(https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/12/when-a-
child-is-a-weapon/616931/) recently highlighted a story about “reunification camps,” a court-ordered option to help bring
parents and children back together after experiencing parental alienation. The author, Barbara Bradley Hagerty,
describes these reunification programs as a last-ditch effort to try to undo the effects of PA and help children
experiencing the effects of PA build a healthier relationship with their parent.
Hagerty writes, “No one knows how common severe alienation is. The Vanderbilt University professor emeritus William
Bernet, a psychiatrist who serves as an expert witness on behalf of people arguing that they’ve been victims of the
phenomenon, estimates that there are 370,000 alienated children in the United States.”
Her article follows the progress of two siblings who were experiencing parental alienation from their Mother. The judge
ruled that their father “was waging an ‘all-out campaign to … alienate them from their mother,’ a campaign so
unrelenting that it qualified as psychological abuse.” The judge gave the mother sole temporary custody and allowed her
to enroll the children in a reunification program.
The program was bumpy but ultimately successful – sort of. Six years later, the children were no longer speaking to their
father, who made no effort to reconnect or attend counseling. Both siblings have been working through various
emotional issues left by their father’s actions, which is why “success” in this case is a loaded word.
Parental alienation cases in New York
Proving parental alienation is not easy, but New York courts historically recognize that willful interference with parental
rights may constitute parental alienation. If a judge finds that a parent is engaging in PA, they may find that parent unfit
and direct a change in custody (https://www.berkbot.com/practice-areas/child-custody/). Some past cases include:
If you have any questions about parental alienation, do not hesitate to ask. Our attorneys can provide you with
knowledgeable guidance. To schedule a consultation with a NYC child custody attorney at Berkman Bottger Newman &
Schein LLP, please call us at 866-524-9098 (tel:866-524-9098), or reach out to us through our contact form
(https://www.berkbot.com/contact-us/) today. We maintain offices on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, in Westchester, and in
Bergen County, NJ.
(https://www.berkbot.com/blog/author/berkman-
bottger-newman-schein/)
Based in midtown Manhattan, our firm serves clients across the greater New York area, including Westchester,
Rockland, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. Read more about Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein LLP
(https://www.berkbot.com/firm-overview/).