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DIVORCE HEADQUARTERS NEWSLETTER Issue #29 November 2002 Know someone else going through the process? If you think they could benefit from this newsletter feel free to pass it on in it's entirety to them. Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. ~Art Linkletter~ Don't forget to mention DivorceHQ.com when contacting the divorce professionals listed on the site. In this Issue:
1. Child Support Enforcement Are you a parent--divorced, separated or never married--with children to support? Do you need help to get a child support order? Do you need help to collect child support payments from the parent who has an order to pay? Are you aware that there is a program at the Federal level of government run by the United States Dept. of Health & Human Services that can help you collect your child support? The following is excerpted from the: HANDBOOK ON CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Child Support Enforcement Washington, D.C. 20447 The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program is a Federal/State/local partnership to collect child support: we want to send the strongest possible message that parents cannot walk away from their children. Our goals are to ensure that children have the financial support of both their parents, to foster responsible behavior towards children, and to reduce welfare costs. The CSE Program was established in 1975 as Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. It functions in all States and territories, through the State/county Social Services Dept, Attorney General's Office or Department of Revenue. Most states work with prosecuting attorneys, other law enforcement agencies, and officials of family or domestic relations courts to carry out the program at the local level. State Child Support Programs locate non custodial parents, establish paternity, establish and enforce support orders, and collect child support payments. While programs vary from State to State, their services are available to all parents who need them. The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It helps States develop, manage, and operate their programs effectively and according to Federal law. The Office pays the major share of State program operating costs, provides policy guidance and technical help to enforcement agencies, conducts audits and educational programs, supports research, and shares ideas for program improvement. We believe that child support enforcement provides hope as well as support to America's children. We dedicate this Handbook to the millions of parents who put their children first by responsibly providing for their emotional and financial support. You can find links to all 50 states Child Support Enforcement web site at www.divorcehq.com/enforcement.html For more information on the program at the Federal level visit: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/fctdsc.htm 2. Parent Alienation Syndrome Robert A. Evans, Ph.D. In 1985 Dr. Richard Gardner (M.D.) coined the phrase "parental alienation syndrome (PAS)". Dr. Gardner defines PAS as "a childhood disorder that arises almost exclusively in the context of child-custody disputes." Primarily it is the child's campaign of denigration against a parent without justification. What is unique from Dr. Gardner's perspective it that it results from the combination of parental programming or brainwashing and the child's vilification of the target parent. There is no PAS when true parental abuse, neglect or the witnessing of abuse, verbal or physical, is present. The child's animosity may be justified; therefore, explaining the child's hostile behavior as a consequence of PAS is not applicable. PAS is only applicable when the target parent is innocent and has not exhibited abusive or neglectful behavior; or any behavior that might warrant the child's vilification. Rather, in typical PAS cases the victimized parent is considered to have provided normal and loving parenting. At worst they exhibited minimal impairments in parental skills. PAS situations typically demonstrate exaggerated weaknesses and deficiencies. When genuine abuse does exist, then the child's rejecting behavior is warranted and PAS is not applicable. Parental Alienation (PA), however, refers to a variety of behaviors that may be associated with a child's alienation from a parent. Children may become alienated because of physical abuse, sexual abuse or both. Emotional abuse by a parent may result in a child's alienation. Children may also become alienated as because of parental abandonment. Ongoing parental disharmony, especially in the presence of physical violence, may lead children to become alienated. Gardner indicates that children may become alienated because of behavior exhibited by a parent that would be alienating to most people, e.g., narcissism, alcoholism, and antisocial behavior. Impaired or dysfunctional parenting can also cause children's alienation. A child may be angry with the parent who initiated the divorce, believing they are solely to blame for the divorce situation. There are many other parental behaviors that can produce a child's alienation, but none of them can be considered PAS. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert A. Evans, Ph.D. is a Licensed School Psychologist. The major focus of his private practice is conducting custody evaluations. He earned his Doctorate from The Catholic University of America in 1982, and has over 25 years of experience in applied psychology and the behavioral sciences. He has practiced in a wide variety of areas including individual, group and family counseling. 3. HUMOR Definition of Divorce: The future tense of marriage |
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