Essex County Parental Alienation

Regardless of whether you live in Essex County, or your child and your child’s other parent live in Essex County, you may need the assistance of an Essex County family law attorney if you become the victim of parental alienation efforts carried out by your child’s other parent. You may not suspect that the other parent is attempting to alienate your child from you until you begin noticing some of the common, telltale signs: a child who is emotionally distant from you, who does not appear to trust or appreciate you in the same manner, or who does not want to spend time in your presence. By the time you notice these signs, it is likely that parental alienation efforts have been ongoing for quite some time.

It is easy to feel powerless when you learn that the other parent or some other third party has been attempting to interfere with your relationship with your child. After all, how can you control what is said or done in the other parent’s home? Aretsky Law Group, P.C. wants you to know that you do have options available to you in this situation, and we are here to assist you in taking action against parental alienation efforts.

Parental alienation is a broad term that can include a wide variety of actions and behaviors. These varied actions and behaviors, however, have one common purpose – to disrupt or interfere with your ability to develop a meaningful and substantial parent-child relationship with your child. Even if the other parent and/or perpetrator of these behaviors does not readily admit that this is his or her aim or goal, parental alienation may nonetheless exist if the person’s behavior does, in fact, lead to this result.

If you become aware of any of the following behaviors (or substantially similar behaviors), you may be faced with a situation of parental alienation. Your child or some other person may report that the other parent:

• Is speaking ill of you, bringing up past indiscretions, or airing your and the other parent’s “dirty laundry” without any provocation or question from the child;
• Is physically restraining your child from visiting with you or filling your child’s schedule up with extracurricular activities and/or chores and then claiming the child is “too busy” to visit;
• Not encouraging the child to visit with you when the child expresses a desire to remain with the other parent;
• Emotionally manipulates or abuses the child when the child expresses positive sentiments about you or when the child desires to spend time with you;
• Fails to inform you about important events in the child’s life or does not permit you to spend time with your child during special occasions (for example, most every Essex County family law judge would permit a father to spend time with his or her child on Father’s Day).

While any third party may be the perpetrator of parental alienation efforts (such as a grandparent or family friend), it is most often the custodial parent who attempts to alienate the child from the noncustodial parent. Whether this is motivated by fear or jealousy, these parental alienation efforts can result in significant emotional and mental trauma and anguish for the victim as well as the child.

New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 9:2-4 is clearly on the side of the parent who is the victim of alienation efforts. This statute clearly and unequivocally expresses the state legislature’s belief that a child’s wellbeing is best advanced when the child has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with both of his or her parents. Thus, when one parent attempts to cut off the child’s relationship with the other parent without just cause (i.e., the other parent presents a substantial and imminent risk to the child’s safety), this runs contrary to the legislature’s purposes. Therefore, once an Essex County family law court is presented with evidence that one parent is attempting to alienate the child from the other parent, a court will take appropriate actions to bring a halt to this behavior.

Aretsky Law Group, P.C. knows and understands that before a court will enter remedial orders to address parental alienation, the court will need to be assured that it is likely such parental alienation efforts are actually occurring. As a result, our firm can help you gather the evidence and testimony you will need to convince the court presiding over your case that parental alienation efforts are occurring and that court orders are necessary to bring such efforts to a halt.

Time is of the essence where parental alienation is occurring. Call Aretsky Law Group right away by dialing 800-537-4154 for prompt and professional assistance with your case and to schedule a consultation in our Montclair, Short Hills or Roseland meeting locations by appointment only.