Richard Warshak

Richard A. Warshak (born December 18, 1949) is a prominent American clinical and research psychologist and author. He is best known internationally for his expertise on divorce, child custody, and parental alienation. Warshak has written three books, The Custody Revolution (Simon & Schuster, 1992),[1] Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond From a Vindictive Ex (ReganBooks, 2002),[2] and the revised edition, Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing (HarperCollins, 2010),[3] and served as a White House consultant on family law reform. He appears in the PBS documentary Kids and Divorce.[4]

Education

Warshak graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1966 and received his B.S. degree from Cornell University in 1971. Warshak received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (formerly the UT Health Science Center) in 1978 and in 2008 received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern.

Career

Warshak's doctoral dissertation, The Effects of Father Custody and Mother Custody on Children's Personality Development,[5] is the first study to directly compare children growing up in father-custody homes to children growing up in mother-custody homes. Warshak collaborated with John Santrock on the Texas Custody Research Project, a series of studies on the effects of different custody dispositions and stepfamilies, partially funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Since 1977, Warshak has examined assumptions and practices in family law in the light of logic and scientific data. His studies on father and mother custody,[6] remarriage,[7][8] relocation,[9][10][11][12] parenting plans for young children,[13][14][15] the American Law Institute's approximation rule,[16][17][18][19] children's preferences in custody disputes[20][21] and parental alienation[22][23][24][25][26] appear in 13 books, more than 75 articles, and more than 100 presentations.[27] Warshak's studies are cited often in the professional literature[28] and in case law[29] and legislatures throughout the world.[30][31]

In 2014 the American Psychological Association published Warshak’s paper, Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report, in the journal Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. The paper was endorsed by 110 researchers and practitioners who added their names to the paper, “a rare occurrence in social science.”[32] The endorsers, from fifteen countries, include the world’s leading authorities in early child development, parent-child relationships, and divorce. The paper has been translated into more than eighteen languages and has informed parliamentary deliberations in several countries including the U.K., Canada, Israel, Finland, and Sweden.

Warshak was a founding member and past president of the Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology and was the founding editor of the DSPP Bulletin.[33]

Warshak has several op-ed columns published in U.S. newspapers,[34] and in 2010 he was one of the original team of authors invited to launch the Divorce section of the Huffington Post which features his contributions regularly.[35]

He was one of the four contributors selected to inaugurate the Child and Family Blog co-sponsored by Princeton University, Brookings Institution, University of Cambridge, and the Jacobs Foundation.[36]

Books

In The Custody Revolution (Simon & Schuster 1992) Warshak presents the case for joint child custody, marshalling evidence for the important role that fathers play in their children’s lives and the harm to children and parents of stereotypes that assume that raising children is exclusively a mother’s job and that children belong with and need their mother more than they need their father. Warshak articulates the damage associated with adversarial custody litigation and he advocates for alternative means of resolving custody disputes, such as mediation. Both joint custody and divorce mediation have since become mainstream in U. S. law and practice. The Custody Revolution was translated and published in the Czech Republic (1996).

In Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond from a Vindictive Ex (Regan Books, 2002; HarperCollins, 2003) and the revised edition, Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing, Warshak describes how and why some parents contribute to alienating their children’s affections toward the other parent. He discusses how parents use techniques such as suggestion, withholding contact, character assassination, and overindulgence to manipulate and influence their children to undermine the children’s love, respect, and comfort with the other parent.

As the first book for parents and professionals that goes beyond describing the problem and offers effective advice for preventing and overcoming a child’s rejection of a parent, Divorce Poison is widely regarded as the classic guide to parental alienation. E.g. Bernet et al. (2010) rank Divorce Poison as "perhaps the best-known book for both professionals and the general public regarding the topic of parental alienation".[37] It is currently in its 25th printing and has been translated in six languages with additional translations forthcoming.

Before Divorce Poison was published, the most common advice alienated parents received was to accept their children’s negative attitudes and hope that in time alienated children will want to reunite with the rejected parent. Divorce Poison challenges this viewpoint as ineffective and likely to prolong children’s suffering. Instead, Warshak suggests that children at risk for becoming unreasonably alienated from a parent receive sensitive help to better understand their situation and to maintain or restore positive parent-child relationships. Warshak’s pro-active approach has become the standard for preventing, and dealing with the early stages of, a child’s irrational alienation from a parent and other relatives.

In the afterword to the revised edition of Divorce Poison, Warshak describes an educational family workshop that is the only program with documented effectiveness in overcoming severe irrational alienation in children and adolescents.

Parental alienation

Warshak's 2010 set of three articles[38][39][40] on Family Bridges: A Workshop for Troubled and Alienated Parent-Child Relationships triggered a resurgence of interest among professionals in parental alienation and prompted the Family Court Review to devote a whole issue to the problem.[41]

Controversy remains about whether a child's unreasonable alienation from a parent constitutes a syndrome. Warshak analyses this controversy and presents arguments both for and against the use of the term, parental alienation syndrome, in court.[42]

Warshak recognizes that allegations of parental alienation, like allegations of domestic violence and child abuse, can be misused in child custody litigation. In his articles and professional seminars he demonstrates how to avoid misdiagnosing the problem. Warshak stresses the importance of understanding the multiple roots of parental alienation and the various factors, including the behavior of the rejected parent, that contribute to the origin and maintenance of a child’s unreasonable alienation or estrangement from a parent.[43]

Because of the emotional and financial costs of severe irrational alienation, and the obstacles to its alleviation, Warshak emphasizes the importance of directing educational resources and judicial efforts to the goals of prevention and early identification of children at risk. The DVD he co-authored and co-produced, Welcome Back, Pluto: Understanding, Preventing, and Overcoming Parental Alienation,[44] is the first such program for children, teens, and young adults who are alienated or at risk for becoming alienated.[45] In addition to education, Warshak stresses the importance of courts' rapid and effective enforcement of orders related to children's contact with both parents.

Selected publications

Books
Book chapters
Scientific articles

Public appearances and media

As an international media guest commentator Warshak has contributed to segments on more than 75 topics including celebrity divorces, custody disputes, parental alienation, child abuse, stepfamilies, child psychology and parenting, and helping children cope with fears and trauma. He has been interviewed by the major television networks in the U.S., and in Canada, England, and Germany, including ABC 20/20, NBC Today, Dateline NBC, CBS, CNN, BBC, CTV, Fox, Geraldo, and CourtTV. His work has been featured in international print media in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Columbia, England, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, and Scotland, including The New York Times (Sunday front page story), The Washington Post (cover story), USA Today (cover story), London Sunday Telegraph, Il Giornale (Italy), Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail (editorial, front page, & Life section), Maclean's (Canada), The Age (Australia),[46] and Time magazine (1980),[47] 2004,[48] and 2011.[49]

References

  1. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (1992.) The Custody Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  2. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2002). Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond from a Vindictive Ex. New York: ReganBooks.
  3. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2010). Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing. New York: Harper Collins.
  4. ↑ PBS(2006). Kids and Divorce: For Better or Worse.
  5. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (1978). The Effects of Father Custody and Mother Custody on Children’s Personality Development. Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas, TX.
  6. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (1979–2004). Child Custody and Divorce Resource Collection.
  7. ↑ Santrock, J. W., Warshak, R. A., & Elliott, G. L. (1982). Social development and parent-child interaction in father-custody and stepmother families. In M.E. Lamb (Ed.), Nontraditional Families. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  8. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2000). Remarriage as a Trigger of Parental Alienation Syndrome. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 28, 229-241.
  9. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (1999). Relocation Litigation: A Social Science Critique of Burgess v. Burgess. In R. Orsinger (Ed.), Expert Witness Manual. Austin: State Bar of Texas Family Law Section.
  10. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2000). Social Science and Children’s Best Interests in Relocation Cases: Burgess Revisited. Family Law Quarterly, 34 (1), 83-113.
  11. ↑ Warshak, R. A. et al., Amici Curiae Brief in the Supreme Court of California, In re the Marriage of Susan Navarro (LaMusga) and Gary LaMusga, Supreme Court Case No. S107355.
  12. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2013). In a Land Far, Far Away: Assessing Children’s Best Interests in International Relocation Cases. "Journal of Child Custody", "10", 295-324.
  13. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2000). Blanket Restrictions: Overnight Contact Between Parents and Young Children. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 38 (4), 422-445. Reprinted in M. K. Pruett (Ed.), Overnights and Young Children: Essays from the Family Court Review, 45- 65.
  14. ↑ Warshak, R. A. Parenting Plans .
  15. ↑ Warshak, R. A., with the endorsement of 110 researchers and practitioners listed in the Appendix. (2014). Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 20, 46-67.
  16. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2007). The Approximation Rule, Child Development Research, and Children’s Best Interests After Divorce. Child Development Perspectives, 1, 119-125.
  17. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2007). Punching the Parenting Time Clock: The Approximation Rule, Social Science, and the Baseball Bat Kids. Family Court Review, 45 (4), 600-619.
  18. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2011). Parenting by the Clock: The Best Interests of the Child Standard, Judicial Discretion, and The American Law Institute’s “Approximation Rule.” University of Baltimore Law Review, 41 (1), 83-163.
  19. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2011). The Approximation Rule and Child Custody Decisions.
  20. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2003). Payoffs and Pitfalls of Listening to Children. Family Relations, 52 (4), 373-384.
  21. ↑ Benefits and Hazards of Involving Children in Custody Decisions. Keynote address, annual conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, California chapter, Los Angeles, CA.
  22. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2000-2011). Parental Alienation Evaluation, Evidence, & Intervention.
  23. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2002). Misdiagnosis of Parental Alienation Syndrome. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 20, 31-52.
  24. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2003). Bringing Sense to Parental Alienation: A Look at the Disputes and the Evidence. Family Law Quarterly, 37, 273-301.
  25. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2005). Eltern-Kind-Entfremdung und Sozialwissenschaften - Sachlichkeit statt Polemik, Zentralblatt für Jugendrecht (ZfJ) No.5, May (2005): 186-200. [Parental Alienation and Social Science: Replacing Polemics with Reason]
  26. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2010). Family Bridges: Using Insights From Social Science to Reconnect Parents and Alienated Children. Family Court Review, 48 (1), 48-80.
  27. ↑ Dr. Richard Warshak's Speaking Engagements. www.warshak.com.
  28. ↑ Hague Conference on Private International Law, Permanent Bureau, Child Abduction/Protection of Children (2012). Preliminary Note On International Family Relocation, referring to Warshak, R. A. (2000). Social Science and Children's Best Interests in Relocation Cases: Burgess Revisited. Family Law Quarterly, 34 (1), 83-113 as one of “three of the most cited articles” on relocation.
  29. ↑ Parental Alienation Case Law
  30. ↑ German civil code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch –BGB), Palandt, C. H. Beck-Verlag, München 2006, 65th edition, Vol. 7, § 1684, Rd-Nr. 7, p. 1970 and 2007, 66th edition, Vol. 7, § 1684, Rd.-Nr. 7, p. 1975.
  31. ↑ Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament). Lapsen vieraannuttaminen etävanhemmastaan avioerotilanteessa.
  32. ↑ Ohio legislators should support shared parenting and parental equality, by Professor Donald Hubin: “[T]he American Psychological Association published a report by prominent psychologist Richard Warshak, titled "Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report," that concluded shared parenting should be the norm. What's more, the conclusions were endorsed by 110 researchers and practitioners who added their names to the paper -- a rare occurrence in social science."
  33. ↑ Brix, D. J.(1994). Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology: A brief history. In R. C. Lane and M. Meisels (Eds.), A History of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  34. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (1992-2010). Op-ed Articles on Divorce, Custody, and Parental Alienation.
  35. ↑ The Huffington Post: Richard Warshak.
  36. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2014, July 19). After Parents Split, Overnight Stays With Dad Are Best For Most Young Children. Child and Family Blog.
  37. ↑ , Bernet, W., W. Boch-Galhau, A.J.L. Baker, and S. L. Morrison (2010). Parental Alienation, DSM-V, and ICD-11. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 38, 76-187.
  38. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2010). Family Bridges: Using Insights From Social Science to Reconnect Parents and Alienated Children. Family Court Review, 48 (1), 48-80.
  39. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2010). Helping Children With Family Bridges: Practice, Research, and the Pursuit of Humbition. Family Court Review, 48 (1), 91-97.
  40. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2010). Alienating Audiences From Innovation: The Perils of Polemics, Ideology, and Innuendo. Family Court Review, 48 (1), 153-163.
  41. ↑ Fidler, B. J. & Bala, N. (2010). Guest Editors’ Introduction To Special Issue On Alienated Children In Divorce And Separation: Emerging Approaches For Families And Courts. Family Court Review, 48 (1), 6-9. “The impetus for this special issue arises from the preparation of a paper by Richard Warshak that was submitted for publication in FCR. His article 'Family Bridges: Using Insights from Social Science to Reconnect Parents and Alienated Children' is the first to appear in a refereed journal on the workshop. It went through a rigorous peer-review process before being accepted for publication” (page 7).
  42. ↑ Warshak, R. A. (2003). Bringing Sense to Parental Alienation: a Look at the Disputes and the Evidence. Family Law Quarterly, 37, 273-301.
  43. ↑ Warshak, supra note 3 at 61-62: "Relief from alienation requires an understanding of all the contributing factors.The child may have her own motives, the rejected parent may be responding in a rigid manner that reinforces the negative attitudes, and the favored parent may be actively or passively supporting the rupture of the parent-child relationship. In additron to the actions of the parents and child, sometimes the circumstances of the marriage and divorce play a key role." Warshak, supra note 3 at 63: "The search for the roots of alienation is not a quest to place blame but to find effective solutions to this tragic problem."
  44. ↑ Warshak, R. A., & Otis, M. R. (2010b). Welcome Back, Pluto: Understanding, Preventing, and Overcoming Parental Alienation. Dallas, TX: WBP Media. Retrieved from http://www.plutodvd.com
  45. ↑ Levy, D. L., & Sauber, S. R. (2011). Review of the DVD Welcome Back, Pluto: Understanding, Preventing, and Overcoming Parental Alienation. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 39, 77-85.
  46. ↑ Arndt, B. (2014, April 28). Empty days, lonely nights. The Age.
  47. ↑ Behavior: Woe Is One. (1980, September 8).Time, 116 (10).
  48. ↑ Paul, P. (2004, August 30). Joint Custody Blues. Time.
  49. ↑ Rochman, B. (2011, May 19). The Schwarzenegger Kids: Coping with Parental Betrayal in the Public Eye. Time.

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