Sandra Maria Dias Alves, Vice-Presidente em Exercício da Mesa da Assembleia-Geral da "Pais para Sempre - Associação Para a Defesa dos Filhos dos Pais Separados", vem convocar a Realização de uma Assembleia-Geral Extraordinária e Eleitoral, A realizar pelas 17H30 do dia 24 de Fevereiro de 2010, Na Sala de Formação II do Instituto Português da Juventude sita na Rua de Moscavide, Lote 47 - 101, em Lisboa, com a seguinte
domingo, 7 de fevereiro de 2010
Convocatória Assembleia-Geral Extraordinária e Eleitoral
Ordem de Trabalhos
Jurisprudência sobre o Incumprimento do Direito de Visita dos Irmãos e Avós
Acórdão do Tribunal da Relação de Lisboa
| |
| ||
| Processo: |
| ||
| Relator: | PIRES ROBALO | ||
| Descritores: | DIREITO DE VISITA | ||
|
|
| ||
| Nº do Documento: | RL | ||
| Data do Acordão: | 02-12-2009 | ||
| Votação: | UNANIMIDADE | ||
| Texto Integral: | S | ||
|
|
| ||
| Meio Processual: | APELAÇÃO | ||
| Decisão: | PROCEDENTE | ||
|
|
| ||
| Sumário: | «Havendo decisão judicial a regular o direito de visitas dos avós e dos irmãos, relativamente a menor órfão de pai, os mesmos podem lançar mão do incidente de incumprimento referido no art.º 181, da O.T.M. em caso de incumprimento da decisão judicial por parte da mãe do menor». |
sábado, 23 de janeiro de 2010
Mensagem do Presidente da Direcção
A Associação "Pais para Sempre" (APpS) foi fundada em Julho de 1998 por um grupo de pais, mães e técnicos das ciências jurídicas e sociais.
Surgiu da necessidade de se tentar garantir uma relação de grande proximidade de ambos os pais com os seus filhos depois de uma separação ou divórcio.
Volvidos que são 11 anos de existência a "necessidade" persiste.
Alguns passos foram dados.
Pequenos e titubeantes!
A opinião pública, na sua esmagadora maioria, já compreende que os Filhos têm o direito aos seus dois pais pai e mãe mesmo que estes não vivam ou deixem de viver em conjunto.
Foi, também, pelo trabalho desenvolvido pelos vários voluntários desta Associação, a que tenho a honra de presidir até à eleição e tomada de posse dos novos Órgãos Sociais, que, por exemplo, se viu o Legislador português alterar a Lei no sentido de fazer sentir aos Pais os seus deveres no exercício das Responsabilidades Parentais e em como é importante que esse Exercício seja Conjunto.
Mas há, ainda, um longo caminho a percorrer. Difícil e demorado.
Mas é a missão da APpS e o nosso dever e tarefa.
Ajudar os pais na sua difícil tarefa de exercerem a parentalidade, principalmente nos difíceis momentos da ruptura da vida conjugal.
Há, por exemplo, que erradicar os comportamentos que conduzam à alienação parental e retirar do pensamento jurídico as reminiscências que chamam de menores às Crianças e Jovens e que fala de direito de visita quando na realidade se trata do direito da Criança a manter relações pessoais.
Para isso há, também, que contribuir para que as Magistraturas possam estar devidamente preparadas nesta complexa área para bem decidirem e para promoverem junto dos progenitores o exercício conjunto duma parentalidade positiva em favor dos filhos. Papel determinante têm os juízes que temos de consciencializar para a necessidade de punirem os incumpridores e os alienadores.
E não podemos deixar de intervir junto dos restantes agentes, que pela profissão e/ou função podem contribuir para uma melhor e mais eficaz defesa dos direitos dos filhos, no caso, dos filhos de pais separados, como sejam os educadores de infância, os professores e demais educadores, os psicólogos, assistentes sociais, advogados, mediadores familiares, só para referir alguns.
As crianças filhas de pais separados têm direito aos seus dois pais e restante família.
Têm o direito a ser amadas por ambos e a livremente os amarem de igual modo à mãe e ao pai. Porque os pais são para sempre.
A todos que connosco trabalham, ou trabalharam, na persecução deste objectivo, os meus agradecimentos pessoais. Aqueles que se queiram juntar a nós nesta tarefa sejam bem vindos.
Ao vosso serviço,
João Mouta
Presidente da Direcção
Triénio 2007-2009
Surgiu da necessidade de se tentar garantir uma relação de grande proximidade de ambos os pais com os seus filhos depois de uma separação ou divórcio.
Volvidos que são 11 anos de existência a "necessidade" persiste.
Alguns passos foram dados.
Pequenos e titubeantes!
A opinião pública, na sua esmagadora maioria, já compreende que os Filhos têm o direito aos seus dois pais pai e mãe mesmo que estes não vivam ou deixem de viver em conjunto.
Foi, também, pelo trabalho desenvolvido pelos vários voluntários desta Associação, a que tenho a honra de presidir até à eleição e tomada de posse dos novos Órgãos Sociais, que, por exemplo, se viu o Legislador português alterar a Lei no sentido de fazer sentir aos Pais os seus deveres no exercício das Responsabilidades Parentais e em como é importante que esse Exercício seja Conjunto.
Mas há, ainda, um longo caminho a percorrer. Difícil e demorado.
Mas é a missão da APpS e o nosso dever e tarefa.
Ajudar os pais na sua difícil tarefa de exercerem a parentalidade, principalmente nos difíceis momentos da ruptura da vida conjugal.
Há, por exemplo, que erradicar os comportamentos que conduzam à alienação parental e retirar do pensamento jurídico as reminiscências que chamam de menores às Crianças e Jovens e que fala de direito de visita quando na realidade se trata do direito da Criança a manter relações pessoais.
Para isso há, também, que contribuir para que as Magistraturas possam estar devidamente preparadas nesta complexa área para bem decidirem e para promoverem junto dos progenitores o exercício conjunto duma parentalidade positiva em favor dos filhos. Papel determinante têm os juízes que temos de consciencializar para a necessidade de punirem os incumpridores e os alienadores.
E não podemos deixar de intervir junto dos restantes agentes, que pela profissão e/ou função podem contribuir para uma melhor e mais eficaz defesa dos direitos dos filhos, no caso, dos filhos de pais separados, como sejam os educadores de infância, os professores e demais educadores, os psicólogos, assistentes sociais, advogados, mediadores familiares, só para referir alguns.
As crianças filhas de pais separados têm direito aos seus dois pais e restante família.
Têm o direito a ser amadas por ambos e a livremente os amarem de igual modo à mãe e ao pai. Porque os pais são para sempre.
A todos que connosco trabalham, ou trabalharam, na persecução deste objectivo, os meus agradecimentos pessoais. Aqueles que se queiram juntar a nós nesta tarefa sejam bem vindos.
Ao vosso serviço,
João Mouta
Presidente da Direcção
Triénio 2007-2009
sábado, 5 de dezembro de 2009
Assembleia Geral da Associação Pais para Sempre 18 de Dezembro às 19h00
PAIS PARA SEMPRE - Associação para a defesa dos Filhos e dos Pais Separados
Com base nos Art. 173 e seguintes do Código Civil, e Art. 24 e seguintes dos Estatutos, convoca-se uma Assembleia Geral a ter lugar nas Instalações do I.P.J. (Inst. Port. da Juventude) da zona da EXPO, Via de Moscavide, 47 101, às 19h00 do dia 18 de Dezembro, com a seguinte Ordem de Trabalhos:
1- Informações
2- Apreciação do Relatório de Gestão e do Relatório de Contas 2008 e
anterior e dos respectivos Parecer do Conselho Fiscal.
3- Apreciação do Orçamento e do Plano de Actividades 2009.
Deliberações.
4- Apreciação e deliberação sobre admissão de sócios e sobre a
regularização da situação de sócios que perderam a respectiva condição.
5- Deliberar sobre o montante a afixar nas quotas e jóia.
6- Deliberar sobre a adesão a outras Instituições.
7- Debater sobre o calendário e acto eleitoral próximo.
8- Outros assuntos a serem colocados à Assembleia em que esta, por
bem, aceite debater.
NOTA - Esta convocatória não foi enviada por via postal para os associados (Estatutos, Art.º 26) por a Mesa da A.G. não possuir os contactos dos associados.
Lisboa, 1 de Dezembro de 2009
O Presidente da Mesa da Assembleia Geral
(Rogério Albano Lopes Soares)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
ESTATUTOS
PAIS PARA SEMPRE, ASSOCIAÇÃO
PARA A DEFESA DOS FILHOS DE PAIS SEPARADOS
Secção II
Assembleia Geral
Artigo 21.º
Composição
1. A Assembleia Geral é constituída por todos os associados em pleno
gozo dos seus direitos, admitidos há, pelo menos, seis meses, que
tenham as suas quotas em dia e não se encontrem suspensos.
Artigo 22.º
Votações
1. Os associados podem fazer-se representar por outros sócios nas
reuniões da Assembleia Geral em caso de impossibilidade de comparência
à reunião, mediante carta dirigida ao Presidente da Mesa, a qual ficará
arquivada na Associação.
2. Cada associado não poderá representar, para efeitos de votação,
mais de um associado.
3. É admitido o voto por correspondência sob condição do seu sentido
ser expressamente indicado em relação ao ponto da ordem de trabalhos e
a assinatura do associado se encontrar reconhecida notarialmente.
Artigo 23.º
Mesa da Assembleia Geral
1. A Mesa da Assembleia Geral é constituída por um Presidente, um
Vice-Presidente e um Secretário.
2. Compete à Mesa da Assembleia Geral dirigir, orientar e disciplinar
os trabalhos da Assembleia, representá-la e designadamente:
a) Decidir sobre os protestos e reclamações respeitantes aos actos
eleitorais, sem prejuízo de recurso nos termos legais;
b) Conferir posse aos membros dos corpos gerentes eleitos.
Artigo 24.º
Competências
1. Compete à Assembleia Geral deliberar sobre todas as matérias não
compreendidas nas atribuições legais ou estatutárias dos outros órgãos.
2. Compete ainda à Assembleia Geral:
a) Definir as linhas fundamentais de actuação da Associação;
b) Apreciar e decidir sobre as propostas, pareceres, relatórios e
demais documentos emanados pelo Conselho de Fundadores e que este lhe
dirija;
c) Eleger e destituir, por votação secreta, os membros da respectiva
Mesa e a totalidade ou a maioria da Direcção e do Conselho Fiscal;
d) Apreciar e votar anualmente o orçamento e o Plano Anual de
Actividade para o exercício seguinte, bem como o relatório de gestão e
contas da Direcção e o parecer do Conselho Fiscal;
e) Deliberar sobre a aquisição onerosa e a alienação, a qualquer
título, de bens imóveis e de outros bens patrimoniais de rendimento ou
de valor histórico ou artístico;
f) Deliberar sobre a alteração dos estatutos depois de aprovada pelo
Conselho dos Fundadores nos termos da alínea h) do artigo 39.º, e sobre
a extinção, cisão ou fusão da Associação;
g) Deliberar sobre a aceitação de integração de uma instituição e
respectivos bens;
h) Autorizar a Associação a demandar os membros dos corpos gerentes
por actos praticados no exercício das suas funções;
i) Aprovar a adesão a uniões, federações ou confederações;
j) Deliberar sobre a concessão da qualidade de associado, nos termos
do n.º 2 do artigo 5.º e do artigo 6.º;
k) Apreciar e decidir os recursos que sejam interpostos pelos
associados;
l) Aplicar, sob proposta da Direcção, a pena de demissão de
associado, nos termos do n.º 4 do artigo 9.º;
m) Fixar a remuneração dos corpos gerentes, nos termos do artigo
14.º;
n) Fixar os montantes da jóia e quota, nos termos do n.º 2 do artigo
10.º.
Artigo 25.º
Sessões
1. A Assembleia Geral reunirá em sessões ordinárias e extraordinárias.
2. A Assembleia Geral reunirá ordinariamente:
a) No final de cada mandato, durante o mês de Dezembro, para a
eleição dos corpos gerentes;
b) Até 31 de Março de cada ano para discussão e votação do relatório
e contas de gerência do ano anterior, bem como do parecer do conselho
fiscal;
c) Até 15 de Novembro, para apreciação e votação do orçamento e Plano
Anual de Actividade para o ano seguinte.
3. A Assembleia Geral reunirá em sessão extraordinária quando
convocada pelo Presidente da Mesa da Assembleia Geral, a pedido da
Direcção, do Conselho Fiscal, do Conselho de Fundadores ou a
requerimento de, pelo menos, 10% dos associados no pleno gozo dos seus
direitos.
Artigo 26.º
Convocação
1. A Assembleia Geral deve ser convocada com, pelo menos, 15 dias de
antecedência pelo Presidente da Mesa, ou seu substituto, nos termos do
artigo anterior.
2. A convocatória é feita por meio de aviso postal expedido para cada
associado ou através de anúncio publicado nos 2 jornais de maior
circulação da área da sede da Associação e deverá ser afixado na sede e
noutros locais de acesso público, dela constando o dia, a hora, o local
e a ordem de trabalhos.
3. A convocatória da Assembleia Geral extraordinária, nos termos do
artigo anterior, deve ser feita no prazo de 15 dias após o pedido ou
requerimento, devendo a reunião realizar-se no prazo máximo de 30 dias,
a contar da data da recepção do pedido ou requerimento.
Artigo 27.º
Funcionamento
1. A Assembleia Geral reunirá à hora marcada na convocatória se
estiver presente mais de metade dos associados com direito a voto, ou
uma hora depois com qualquer número de presentes.
2. A Assembleia Geral extraordinária que seja convocada a requerimento
dos associados só funcionará se estiverem presentes, pelo menos, três
quartos dos requerentes, considerando-se de contrário terem desistido
do pretendido.
Artigo 28.º
Deliberações
1. Salvo o disposto no número seguinte, as deliberações da Assembleia
Geral são tomadas por maioria absoluta dos votos dos associados
presentes.
2. As deliberações sobre as matérias constantes das alíneas f), g), h)
e I) do artigo 24.º só serão válidas se obtiverem o voto favorável de,
pelo menos 2/3 dos votos expressos.
3. No caso da alínea f) do artigo 24.º, a dissolução não terá lugar
se, pelo menos, um número de associados, igual ao dobro dos membros dos
corpos gerentes se declarar disposto a assegurar a permanência da
Associação, qualquer que seja o número de votos contra.
Artigo 29.º
Deliberações anuláveis e direito de acção
1. Sem prejuízo do disposto no número anterior, são anuláveis as
deliberações tomadas sobre matéria estranha à ordem do dia, salvo se
estiverem presentes ou representados na reunião todos os associados no
pleno gozo dos seus direitos sociais e todos concordarem com o
aditamento.
2. A deliberação da Assembleia Geral sobre o exercício do direito de
acção civil ou penal contra os membros dos corpos gerentes pode ser
tomada na sessão convocada para apreciação do balanço, relatório e
contas do exercício, mesmo que a respectiva proposta não conste da
ordem de trabalhos.
quarta-feira, 2 de dezembro de 2009
NEW CAMPAIGN: Ask DSM to Include Parental Alienation in Upcoming Edition
NEW CAMPAIGN: Ask DSM to Include Parental Alienation in Upcoming Edition
A group of 50 mental health experts from 10 countries are part of an effort to add Parental Alienation to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V), the American Psychiatric Association’s “bible” of diagnoses. According to psychiatrist William Bernet, adding PA “would spur insurance coverage, stimulate more systematic research, lend credence to a charge of parental alienation in court, and raise the odds that children would get timely treatment.”
Few family law cases are as heartbreaking as those involving Parental Alienation. In PA cases, one parent has turned his or her children against the other parent, destroying the loving bonds the children and the target parent once enjoyed.
Fathers & Families wants to ensure that the DSM-V Task Force is aware of the scope and severity of Parental Alienation. To this end, we are asking our members and supporters to write DSM. If you or someone you love has been the victim of Parental Alienation, we want you to tell your story to the DSM-V Task Force. To do so, simply fill in our form by clicking here.
Once you have filled out our form, Fathers & Families will print out your letter and send it by regular US mail to the three relevant figures in DSM-V: David J. Kupfer, M.D., the chair of the DSM-V Task Force; Darrel A. Regier, M.D., vice-chair of the DSM-V Task Force; and Daniel S. Pine, M.D., chair of the DSM-V Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence Work Group.
DSM V is struggling with many weighty matters and as things currently stand, Parental Alienation might not get much notice or attention. By having our supporters write to leading DSM figures, we hope to draw attention to the issue.
Again, to tell your story, click here.
Supporters can send letters to DSM until the middle of 2010. In 2011, DSM will be considering the issue. In 2012, DSM V will be written, and in 2013 DSM V will be published. When you write your letter, please:
1) Keep the focus on your child(ren) and how the Parental Alienation has harmed them.
2) Stick to the facts related to the Parental Alienation.
3) Be succinct.
4) Fill in all fields on our form.
5) Be civil and credible, and avoid any profanity or use of insulting language.
Again, to write the DSM Committee about your story, click here.
Running these campaigns takes time and money–the postage and supplies alone on this campaign will be several thousand dollars. To make a tax-deductible contribution to support this effort, click here.
Together with you in the love of our children,
Glenn Sacks, MA
Executive Director, Fathers & Families
Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S.
Founder, Chairman of the Board, Fathers & Families
Frequently Asked Questions about Parental Alienation
1) What is Parental Alienation?
Parental Alienation is a disorder that arises primarily in the context of divorce/separation and/or child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child’s campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) of a parent’s indoctrinations and the child’s own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent. Parental Alienation is also sometimes referred to as “Parental Alienation Disorder” or “Parental Alienation Syndrome.” To learn more, click here.
2) Most claims of Parental Alienation are made by divorced or separated fathers. When fathers have custody of their children, do they sometimes alienate them from the noncustodial mothers?
Yes, both genders can be perpetrators and victims of Parental Alienation, but those hurt the worst are always the children, who lose one of the two people in the world who love them the most.
3) Do fathers (or mothers) sometimes make false claims of Parental Alienation against mothers (or fathers)?
Yes. There are parents who have alienated their own children through their abuse or personality defects, and who attempt to shift the blame to their former spouses or partners by falsely claiming the other parent alienated the children from them.
4) How common is Parental Alienation?
Parental Alienation is a common, well-documented phenomenon that is the subject of numerous studies and articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. A longitudinal study published by the American Bar Association in 2003 followed 700 “high conflict” divorce cases over a 12 year period and found that elements of PA were present in the vast majority of the cases studied. Some experts estimate that there are roughly 200,000 children in the U.S. who have PAD, similar to the number of children with autism. To learn more, click here.
5) Opponents of recognizing Parental Alienation claim that abusive fathers often employ Parental Alienation as a way to wrest custody from protective mothers in family court. They’ve promoted several cause celebre cases in recent years as a way to garner public sympathy and political support for their agenda. Is their portrayal of these cases accurate?
No–most of these cases are being misrepresented by opponents of recognizing Parental Alienation. Examples include: Genia Shockome (publicized by Newsweek magazine and others); Sadia Loeliger (one of the alleged heroines of a 2005 PBS documentary called Breaking the Silence: Children’s Stories; and Holly Collins (publicized by Fox News, Inside Edition and others.) In each of these three cases, opponents of recognizing Parental Alienation badly misrepresented the cases, turning reality on its head. To learn more about these cases, click here and here.
Despite this, opponents of recognizing Parental Alienation push for reforms which will make it easier to deny parents shared custody or visitation rights based on unsubstantiated abuse claims. They also push for laws to exclude evidence of Parental Alienation in family law proceedings. One example is California AB 612, a bill that would have prevented target parents of Parental Alienation from raising PA as an issue in their cases. In 2007 and 2009, Fathers & Families’ legislative representative Michael Robinson helped build a professional coalition to scuttle AB 612.
6) Opponents of recognizing Parental Alienation, as well as some mental health professionals, claim that Parental Alienation should not be recognized by DSM as a mental disorder. What’s Fathers & Families’ position on this aspect of the issue?
Many intelligent, accomplished mental health authorities do believe that Parental Alienation Disorder should be considered a mental disorder, but there are also credible experts who do not. DSM has accepted several relational disorders, such as Separation Anxiety Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and PAD is a typical relational disorder. Any target parent of Parental Alienation would certainly believe that his or her child’s sudden, irrational hatred constitutes some sort of a mental disorder. In Parental Alienation Disorder and DSM-V, numerous mental health authorities make the case for including PAD–to learn more, click here.
Dr. Richard A. Warshak explains:
PAS fits a basic pattern of many psychiatric syndromes. Such syndromes denote conditions in which people who are exposed to a designated stimulus develop a certain cluster of symptoms.
Nonetheless, Fathers & Families’ emphasis is not on these technical aspects of the issue, but instead on the harm Parental Alienation does to children. The malignant behavior of alienating a child from his or her mother or father after a divorce or separation is a widespread social problem which merits a much more vigorous judicial and legislative response.
7) How will children caught in Parental Alienation be helped if Parental Alienation is included in DSM V?
Inclusion of Parental Alienation in DSM V will increase PA’s recognition and legitimacy in the eyes of family court judges, mediators, custody evaluators, family law attorneys, and the legal and mental health community in general. Psychiatrist William Bernet says that adding PA “would spur insurance coverage, stimulate more systematic research, lend credence to a charge of parental alienation in court, and raise the odds that children would get timely treatment.” To learn more, click here.
8) What is the child’s part in PAS?
The child denigrates the alienated parent with foul language and severe oppositional behavior. The child offers weak, absurd, or frivolous reasons for his or her anger. The child is sure of him or herself and doesn’t demonstrate ambivalence, i.e. love and hate for the alienated parent, only hate. The child exhorts that he or she alone came up with ideas of denigration. The “independent-thinker” phenomenon is where the child asserts that no one told him to do this. The child supports and feels a need to protect the alienating parent. The child does not demonstrate guilt over cruelty towards the alienated parent. The child uses borrowed scenarios, or vividly describes situations that he or she could not have experienced. Animosity is spread to the friends and/or extended family of the alienated parent.
In severe cases of parent alienation, the child is utterly brain-washed against the alienated parent. The alienator can truthfully say that the child doesn’t want to spend any time with this parent, even though he or she has told him that he has to, it is a court order, etc. The alienator typically responds, “There isn’t anything that I can do about it. I’m not telling him that he can’t see you.” (excerpted from Dr. Jayne A. Major’s Parents Who Have Successfully Fought Parental Alienation Syndrome).
9) Are there varying degrees of Parental Alienation?
Yes. Dr. Douglas Darnall, in his book Divorce Casualties: Protecting Your Children from Parental Alienation, describes three categories of PA.
The mild category he calls the naïve alienators. They are ignorant of what they are doing and are willing to be educated and change.
The moderate category is the active alienators. When they are triggered, they lose control of appropriate boundaries.
In the severe category are the obsessed alienators or those who are involved in PAS. They are committed to destroying the other parent’s relationship with the child. In the latter case, Dr. Darnall notes that we don’t have an effective protocol for treating an obsessed alienator other than removing the child from their influence.
An important point is that in PAS there is no true parental abuse and/or neglect on the part of the alienated parent. If this were the case, the child’s animosity would be justified. (excerpted from Dr. Jayne A. Major’s Parents Who Have Successfully Fought Parental Alienation Syndrome).
The Case for Including Parental Alienation Disorder in DSM V
Parental Alienation Disorder and DSM-V was written by psychiatrist William Bernet, M.D., Wilfrid v. Boch-Galhau, M.D., Joseph Kenan, M.D., Joan Kinlan, M.D., Demosthenes Lorandos, Ph.D., J.D., Richard Sauber, Ph.D., Bela Sood, M.D., and James S. Walker, Ph.D. In it, they make the case for including Parental Alienation Disorder in DSM V.
Their proposal was submitted to the Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence Work Group for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition in August of 2008. Below are some excerpts from their paper.
Bernet & Co. write:
Although parental alienation disorder has been described in the psychiatric literature for at least 60 years, it has never been considered for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). When DSM-IV was being developed, nobody formally proposed that parental alienation disorder be included in that edition. Since the publication of DSM-IV in 1994, there have been hundreds of publications (articles, chapters, books, court opinions) regarding parental alienation in peer reviewed mental health journals, legal literature, and the popular press. There has been controversy among mental health and legal professionals regarding parental alienation…
Regarding our proposed diagnostic criteria, we say that the essential feature of parental alienation disorder is that a child – usually one whose parents are engaged in a hostile divorce – allies himself or herself strongly with one parent (the preferred parent) and rejects a relationship with the other parent (the alienated parent) without legitimate justification. The primary behavioral symptom is the child’s resistance or refusal to visit or have parenting time with the alienated parent…
For purposes of this proposal, we are referring to the mental condition under consideration as parental alienation disorder (PAD). Depending on the context, we sometimes refer to parental alienation syndrome (PAS). Our primary criteria for PAD are the attitudes and behavior of the child, that is, the child essentially has a false belief that the alienated parent is a dangerous person and must be avoided. We reserve the word alienation for individuals with this false belief, whether the false belief was brought about by the alienating parent or by other circumstances, such as the child who avoids being caught between warring parents by gravitating to one side and avoiding the other side of the battle…
Bernet & Co. believe that PAD should be included in DSM-V for the following reasons:
Relational disorders are being considered for DSM-V, and PAD is an exemplar of this type of mental disorder.
Despite controversies regarding terminology and etiology, the phenomenon of PAD is almost universally accepted by mental health and legal professionals. Research indicates that PAD is a valid and reliable construct.
Establishing diagnostic criteria will make it possible to study PAD in a more systematic manner.
Establishing diagnostic criteria will reduce the opportunities for abusive parents and unethical attorneys to misuse the concept of PAD in child custody disputes.
Establishing diagnostic criteria will be helpful for: clinicians who work with divorced families; divorced parents, who are trying to do what is best for their children; and children of divorce, who desperately need appropriate treatment that is based on a correct diagnosis.
One of the important points that Bernet & Co. make is that PA is not new. They write:
The phenomenon of PAD has been described in the mental health literature for at least 60 years and the concept is almost universally accepted by psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers who evaluate and treat these children. Also, the concept of parental alienation is generally understood and accepted by legal professionals. The symptoms of PAD were described in the mental health literature long before Richard Gardner coined the term “parental alienation syndrome” (in 1985).
In 1949, Wilhelm Reich wrote in his classic book, Character Analysis, that some divorced parents defend themselves against narcissistic injury by fighting for custody of their child and defaming their former spouse. These parents seek “revenge on the partner through robbing him or her of the pleasure in the child. … In order to alienate the child from the partner, it is told that the partner is an alcoholic or psychotic, without there being any truth to such statements”.
In 1952, Louise Despert referred in her book, Children of Divorce, to the temptation for one parent “to break down” their child’s love for the other parent.
In 1980, Judith Wallerstein and Joan Kelly referred to an alliance between a narcissistically enraged parent and a particularly vulnerable older child or adolescent, who “were faithful and valuable battle allies in efforts to hurt and punish the other parent. Not infrequently, they turned on the parent they had loved and been very close to prior to the marital separation”.
Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee later discussed how court-ordered visitation can “be entangled with Medea-like rage.” They said, “A woman betrayed by her husband is deeply opposed to the fact that her children must visit him every other weekend. … She cannot stop the visit, but she can plant seeds of doubt – ‘Do not trust your father’ – in the children’s minds and thus punish her ex-husband via the children. She does this consciously or unconsciously, casting the seeds of doubt by the way she acts and the questions she asks…”
Bernet & Co. write:
In 1994, the American Psychological Association published “Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings”…the authors of the guidelines provided a bibliography of “Pertinent Literature,” which included The Parental Alienation Syndrome and two other books by Richard Gardner.
In 1997, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) published “Practice Parameters for Child Custody Evaluations.” This document, an “AACAP Official Action,” referred explicitly to “Parental Alienation” and said, “There are times during a custody dispute when a child can become extremely hostile toward one of the parents. The child finds nothing positive in his or her relationship with the parent and prefers no contact. The evaluator must assess this apparent alienation and form a hypothesis of its origins and meaning. Sometimes, negative feelings toward one parent are catalyzed and fostered by the other parent; sometimes, they are an outgrowth of serious problems in the relationship with the rejected parent”…
There has been an enormous amount of research on the psychosocial vicissitudes of children of divorced parents, including children with PAS. The most exhaustive single volume regarding PAS is The International Handbook of Parental Alienation Syndrome, published in 2006. More than 30 mental health professionals wrote chapters for this book, including authors from Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Israel, Sweden, and the United States.
PAS was the focus of major national conferences in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, in 2002 and in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, in 2008. A scholarly article by Warshak cited a list of references that currently numbers 213, most of which were published in peer reviewed journals (http://home.att.net/~rawars/pasarticles.html)…
We conclude that mental health professionals (taken as a group) and the general public recognize parental alienation as a real entity that deserves considerable attention.
How common is Parental Alienation, and how many cases are there nationwide? Bernet & Co. estimate that there are roughly 200,000 children in the U.S. who have PAD, similar to the number of children with autism. They write:
In general, PAD is more likely to occur in highly conflicted, custody-disputing families than in community samples of divorcing families. Even in highly conflicted divorces, only the minority of children experience PAD. The following studies indicate that approximately 25% of children involved in custody disputes develop PAD.
Johnston – in California – found that 7% of the children in one study and 27% of the children in a second study had “strong alignment” with one parent and rejection of the other parent. Kopetski – in Colorado – found that 20% of families involved in custody disputes manifested parental alienation syndrome. Nicholas reported that 33% of families involved with custody disputes manifested parental alienation syndrome, based on a survey of 21 custody evaluators. Berns reported a study of divorce judgments in Brisbane, Australia, and said parental alienation syndrome was present in 29% of cases.
The prevalence of PAD can be roughly estimated as follows. The U.S. Census Bureau says approximately 10% of children under age 18 live with divorced parents. Approximately 10% of divorces involve custody or visitation disputes. Approximately 25% of children involved in custody or visitation disputes develop PAD. Multiplying these percentages yields a prevalence of 0.25%, or about 200,000 children in the U.S. For comparison purposes, this prevalence is the same order of magnitude as the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders.
Bernet & Co. believe that “controversies related to definitions and terminology have delayed and compromised systematic research regarding [PAD]” and that “Establishing diagnostic criteria will make it possible to study parental alienation in a more methodical manner.” They write:
[Despite controversy] There is consensus among almost all mental health professionals who have written about parental alienation regarding the following: (1) PAD is a real entity, that is, there really are children and adolescents who embark on a persistent campaign of denigration against one of the parents and adamantly refuse to see that parent, and the intensity of the campaign and the refusal is far out or proportion to anything the alienated parent has done. (2) There are many causes of visitation refusal, and PAD is only one of them. (3) PAD is not the correct diagnosis when the child’s visitation refusal is caused by child maltreatment or serious problematic behavior of the alienated parent.
Dr. Richard A. Warshak makes the case for accepting PAD/PAS:
PAS fits a basic pattern of many psychiatric syndromes. Such syndromes denote conditions in which people who are exposed to a designated stimulus develop a certain cluster of symptoms. ‘Posttraumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD) refers to a particular cluster of symptoms developed in the aftermath of a traumatic event. … These diagnoses carry no implication that everyone exposed to the same stimulus develops the condition, nor that similar symptoms never develop in the absence of the designated stimulus. … Similarly, some, but not all, children develop PAS when exposed to a parent’s negative influence. Other factors, beyond the stimulus of an alienating parent, can help elucidate the etiology for any particular child.
Bernet & Co. add “We hope that the Work Group will not reject this proposal simply because of this 20-year-old argument about the concept, the terminology, and the criteria for PAD. There is no lack of controversy regarding conditions that are quite prominent in the DSM.”
Bernet & Co. also address the important issue of the misuse of PA/PAD. As we’ve often noted, claims of Parental Alienation can be used by abusive parents as a cover for their abuse, such as in the Joyce Murphy case.
More commonly, one parent may have damaged his or her relationships with his children due to his or her own personality problems, narcissism, substance abuse issues, erratic behavior, etc., but then, rather than assuming responsibility for his or her actions, instead blames the bad relationship on the other parent, under the rubric of Parental Alienation. Fathers & Families sometimes hears from parents, usually mothers, who say that they are being unfairly blamed for the deterioration of their children’s relationships with their former partners, who claim Parental Alienation. We believe that these are legitimate concerns.
However, as we’ve often noted, simply because false claims of Parental Alienation can and are made doesn’t mean that Parental Alienation doesn’t exist or isn’t a problem. Bernet & Co. believe that acceptance of PA/PAD by DSM V will “reduce the opportunities for abusive parents and unethical attorneys to misuse the concept of parental alienation in child custody disputes.” They write:
Having established criteria for the diagnosis of PAD will eliminate the Babel of conflicting terminology and definitions that currently occurs when parental alienation is mentioned in a legal setting. More important is that the entry regarding PAD in DSM-V will include a discussion of the differential diagnosis of visitation refusal. It will be clear that the clinician should consider a number of explanations for a child’s symptom of visitation refusal and not simply rush to the diagnosis of PAD. Also, it will be clear that the diagnosis of PAD should not be made if the child has a legitimate, justifiable reason for disliking and rejecting one parent, for instance, if the child was neglected or abused by that parent.
We believe that when everybody involved in the legal procedures (the parents, the child protection investigators, the mental health professionals, the attorneys, and the judge) has a clear, uniform understanding of the definition of PAD, there will be fewer opportunities for rogue expert witnesses and lawyers to misuse the concept in court. What really matters is whether PAD is a real phenomenon, a real entity. If PAD is a real clinical entity, it should be included in the DSM. If PAD is a real clinical entity, the possibility that the diagnosis will sometimes be misused should not be a primary or serious consideration.
They also note:
[T]he psychiatric diagnosis that is most misused in legal settings is posttraumatic stress disorder. In personal injury lawsuits, the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder in an alleged victim is used to prove that the individual actually sustained a severe trauma. Also, military veterans and workers’ compensation claimants sometimes malinger posttraumatic stress disorder in order to receive disability benefits. However, we are not aware that anybody has ever proposed that posttraumatic stress disorder should be deleted from the DSM because it is sometimes misused.
Recognizing PA/PAD/PAD will help children of divorce or separation. Bernet & Co. write:
Establishing diagnostic criteria will be helpful for: clinicians who work with divorced families; divorced parents, who are trying to do what is best for their children; and children of divorce, who desperately need appropriate treatment that is based on a correct diagnosis. According to Barbara-Jo Fidler, clinical observations, case reviews and qualitative comparative studies uniformly indicate that alienated children may exhibit a variety of symptoms including poor reality testing, illogical cognitive operations, simplistic and rigid information processing, inaccurate or distorted interpersonal perceptions, self-hatred, and other maladaptive attitudes and behaviors. Fidler’s survey of the short-term and long-term effects of pathological alienation on children reviewed more than 40 articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 1991 and 2007…
The authors of this proposal believe that if PAD were an official diagnosis, counselors and therapists from all disciplines will become more familiar with this condition. As a result, children with PAD will be identified earlier in the course of their illness while it is more easily treated and even cured. Also, if PAD were an official diagnosis (with clear criteria for the diagnosis and for severity of the condition), it will be possible to conduct coherent research regarding its treatment.
The Authors’ Proposed Criteria for Parental Alienation Disorder is as follows:
A. The child – usually one whose parents are engaged in a hostile divorce – allies
himself or herself strongly with one parent and rejects a relationship with the other,
alienated parent without legitimate justification. The child resists or refuses visitation or
parenting time with the alienated parent.
B. The child manifests the following behaviors:
(1) a persistent rejection or denigration of a parent that reaches the level of a campaign
(2) weak, frivolous, and absurd rationalizations for the child’s persistent criticism of the rejected parent
C. The child manifests two of the following six attitudes and behaviors:
(1) lack of ambivalence
(2) independent-thinker phenomenon
(3) reflexive support of one parent against the other
(4) absence of guilt over exploitation of the rejected parent
(5) presence of borrowed scenarios
(6) spread of the animosity to the extended family of the rejected parent.
D. The duration of the disturbance is at least 2 months.
E. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
academic (occupational), or other important areas of functioning.
F. The child’s refusal to have visitation with the rejected parent is without legitimate
justification. That is, parental alienation disorder is not diagnosed if the rejected parent
maltreated the child.
Send Your Letter to the DSM-V Task Force and Tell Them Your Story
To write your letter to the DSM-V Task Force, please fill out the form below. Fathers & Families will print out your letter and send it by regular US mail to the three relevant figures in DSM-V. When you write your letter, please:
1) Keep the focus on your child(ren) and how the Parental Alienation has harmed them.
2) Stick to the facts related to the Parental Alienation.
3) Be succinct.
4) Fill in all fields on our form.
5) Be civil and credible, and avoid any profanity or use of insulting language.
Together with you in the love of our children,
Glenn Sacks, MA
Executive Director, Fathers & Families
Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S.
Founder, Chairman of the Board, Fathers & Families
terça-feira, 1 de dezembro de 2009
PS quer alterar regulação do poder paternal
PS quer alterar regulação do poder paternal
A Direcção parlamentar do PS pode rever a Lei do Divórcio devido às dificuldades encontradas no primeiro ano de vigência. Alterações justificam-se devido às diferentes interpretações para a responsabilidade parental.
Alertando para a necessidade de esperar pelas decisões que vierem a ser tomadas pelos tribunais superiores, o deputado não exclui a hipótese de ter que vir a ser clarificado o artigo relativo à educação conjunta dos filhos. Interpretações diferentes e até o caso de um magistrado que se revelou "incompetente em razão da matéria" para determinar a responsabilidade parental conjunta, por considerar ser uma questão que apenas aos pais diria respeito, podem obrigar a uma alteração desta parte da nova Lei.
Quanto aos restantes aspectos, segundo Ricardo Rodrigues, não "têm surgido problemas". Apesar de não existir monitorização ou qualquer acompanhamento específico deste diploma.
Uma medida que, por exemplo, António Martins, presidente da Associação Sindical dos Juízes Portugueses, tem vindo a reclamar. Esse estudo, na sua opinião, permitiria melhorar a lei naquilo em que precisa de ser melhorada. O juiz defende que a responsabilidade parental é precisamente um dos aspectos que precisa de ser clarificado.
Para Artur Gouveia, advogado com larga experiência em direito da família, a Lei tem aspectos "facilitadores" do divórcio, mas "a prática" social não terá mudado assim tanto.
No caso da responsabilidade parental conjunta, ela é decretada, efectivamente, mas, "na prática", o pai continua a ficar mais afastado do que a mãe, na educação dos menores.
Outro aspecto que não está ainda clarificado, prende-se com o conceito de "ruptura do casamento", um dos fundamentos para que qualquer dos cônjuges possa requer o divórcio.
"Não se sabe ainda como é que os tribunais vão responder a isto", diz, lembrando que não existem ainda casos suficientes que permitam fixar este conceito.
Apesar de tudo, Artur Gouveia considera que o divórcio, hoje, "está facilitado" e "é mais rápido".
E para isso contribuem alterações introduzidas com esse objectivo. Por exemplo, o facto de bastar um ano de separação física efectiva para que se possa requerer o divórcio, e já não os três previstos na lei anterior.
Outra alteração, prende-se com a circunstância de ter deixado de existir o conceito de culpa. Isto é, a necessidade de alguém se declarar culpado pelo fim do casamento. "Era inibidor do divórcio", defende o advogado.
A resolução dos acordos quanto à casa de morada de família, alimentos ou bens comuns pelos tribunais, sempre que quanto a isso não haja acordo entre os cônjuges, é também, para Artur Gouveia, um factor decisivo para que os divórcios não se arrastem meses e meses.
CLARA VASCONCELOS
publicado a 2009-12-01 às 00:30
Para mais detalhes consulte:
http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Nacional/Interior.aspx?content_id=1435207
segunda-feira, 30 de novembro de 2009
Ten Tips for Divorcing Parents
Ten Tips for Divorcing Parents
Divorce is never easy on kids, but there are many ways parents can help lessen the impact of their break-up on their children:
Never disparage your former spouse in front of your children. Because children know they are "part mom" and "part dad", the criticism can batter the child's self-esteem.
Do not use your children as messengers between you and your former spouse. The less the children feel a part of the battle between their parents, the better.
Reassure your children that they are loved and that the divorce is not their fault. Many children assume that they are to blame for their parent's hostility.
Encourage your children to see your former spouse frequently. Do everything within your power to accommodate the visitation.
At every step during your divorce, remind yourself that your children's interests – not yours – are paramount, and act accordingly. Lavish them with love at each opportunity.
Your children may be tempted to act as your caretaker. Resist the temptation to let them. Let your peers, adult family members, and mental health professionals be your counselors and sounding board. Let your children be children.
If you have a drinking or drug problem, get counseling right away. An impairment inhibits your ability to reassure your children and give them the attention they need at this difficult time.
If you are the non-custodial parent, pay your child support. The loss of income facing many children after divorce puts them at a financial disadvantage that has a pervasive effect on the rest of their lives.
If you are the custodial parent and you are not receiving child support, do not tell your children. It feeds into the child's sense of abandonment and further erodes his or her stability.
If at all possible, do not uproot your children. Stability in their residence and school life helps buffer children from the trauma of their parent's divorce.
Subscrever:
Mensagens (Atom)
