Madrid, Spain–One of the more bizarre and unfortunate aspects of the controversy over family law in the United States is the insistence of many misguided women’s advocates that Parental Alienation does not exist. To learn more about Parental Alienation and the controversies surrounding it, see my co-authored column Protect Children from Alienation (Providence Journal, 7/8/06) or click here.
According to activist Diego Hernán Cecchini, Parental Alienation has now been accepted by Spain’s Coordinating of Legal Psychology of the General Council of Associations of Psychologists of Spain (Coordinadora de Psicología Jurídica del Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Psicólogos de España). In “Considerations about the relevance of Parental Alienation Syndrome” (6/18/08) they write:
As part of the Coordinator of Legal Psychology General Council of Official Colleges of Spanish, we want to endorse the desirability of the analysis of the problem known as Parental Alienation Syndrome in the psychological evaluation, both within the forensic field of family law, and as otherwise related.
Researchers and psychologists show a broad consensus to consider PAS as a cognitive, behavioral and emotional alteration in which the the child despises and criticizes one of their parents. This behavior and attitude of rejection and disparagement is unwarranted or shows a clear exaggeration of alleged defects of the alienated parent…
Like any scientific and professional breakthrough, it is subject to continuous review, but cannot be denied “a priori” when there is scientific literature and professional activity that describes it, and recognizes its usefulness.