Are you a judicial, mental health or legal professional who would like to learn more about the empirical basis for parental alienation? Would you like to brush up on your knowledge of scientific methodology and how to communicate this information better to the public (e.g., family courts, policy-makers, the media)?  Then please consider joining this bi-weekly seminar series.

There have been several hundred studies on parental alienation published in 10 languages through 2020 (Harman, Warshak, Lorandos, & Florian, 2022), and many more since that time. Forty percent of what we know on the topic has been published since 2016, so it falls to professionals working with families to update their knowledge base to better serve them.

Seminar format

• Prior to each seminar, registrants will receive a PDF of the articles that will be discussed. It is expected that participants will read the article(s) carefully and attend the seminar prepared with questions.
• All seminars will take place on-line on OnZoom for 90-120 minutes. Seminars will be recorded so that the content can still be viewed by registrants at a later time.
• Dr. Harman will review each assigned article with registrants, and then an open discussion will commence whereby registrants can discuss practical implications of the research as a group.

Seminar fees and continuing education (CE) credits

• Each seminar costs $30 to attend, whether live or as a prerecorded video.
• Graduate students: Individuals who are currently matriculated in a graduate training program to research or work with high conflict families (e.g., marriage and family counseling, psychology, social work, guidance counseling) are eligible for a 50% discounted seminar fee ($15). Proof of current matriculation is required, and will be verified twice a year. If you are interested in this discounted fee for the live or recorded seminars, please upload matriculation documentation using the form below, or email jenniferjillharman@gmail.com.
• If requested, attendees who participate in a live seminar can receive a Certificate of Completion with the title and hours (1.5 or 2) completed.
• If a registrant would like to obtain CE credits for attending this seminar series, please contact the professional association you belong to and request details on how to apply for credits. Dr. Harman can then work with you to request that the seminar series be approved for you. Please email her directly at jenniferjillharman@gmail.com if this is something you would like to pursue.

Seminar topics

Below are the topics and dates that each seminar will be held. If an attendee is unable to join the seminar at the scheduled time, the seminar will be recorded and available for viewing at a later date for paid registrants. The link to the recordings for past seminars can be accessed in the table below.

Topic	Date/Time	Assigned Articles
PA in U.S. appellate cases	Thursday, February 1 8-10 pm EST	Meier, J. S., Dickson, S., O’Sullivan, C., Rosen, L., & Hayes, J. (2019). Child custody outcomes in cases involving parental alienation and abuse allegations (GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 2019 –56). SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstracte=3448062 Harman, J. J., & Lorandos, D. (2021). Allegations of family violence in court: How parental alienation affects judicial outcomes. Psychology, Public Policy, & Law, 27(2), 184-208. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000301
PA in Canadian family court cases	Thursday, February 15 8-10 pm EST	Paquin-Boudreau, A., Poitras, K., & Bala, N. (2022). Family court responses to claims of parental alienation in Quebec. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 36(1), ebac014. https://doi.org/10.1093/lawfam/ebac014   Harman, J., Giancarlo, C., Lorandos, D., & Ludmer, B. (2023). Gender and child custody across 16 years of judicial decisions regarding abuse and parental alienation. Children & Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107187
PA versus estrangement and loyalty conflicts	Thursday, February 29 8-10 pm EST	Afifi, T. O., Afifi, W. A., Morse, C. R., & Hamrick, K. (2008). Adolescents’ avoidance tendencies and physiological reactions to discussions about their parent’s relationship: Implications for postdivorce and nondivorced families. Communication Monographs, 75(3), 290-317. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750802342308 Scharp, K. (2019). “You’re not welcome here”: A grounded theory of family distancing. Communication Research, 46(4), 427-455. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0093650217715542
Assessing lack of ambivalence	Thursday, March 21 8-10 pm EST	Bernet, W., Gregory, N., Rohner, R. P., & Reay, K. M. (2020). Measuring the difference between parental alienation and parental estrangement: The PARQ-Gap. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 65(4), 1225-1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14300 Blagg, N., & Godfrey, E. (2018). Exploring parent-child relationships in alienated versus neglected/emotionally abused children using the Bene-Anthony Family Relations test. Child Abuse Review, 27, 486-496. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/car.2537
Interventions for severe PA: Family Bridges	Wednesday, April 3 8-10 pm EST	Warshak, R. A. (2010). Family Bridges: Using insights from social science to reconnect parents and alienated children. Family Court Review, 48(1), 48-80.   Warshak, R. A. (2019). Reclaiming parent-child relationships: Outcomes of Family Bridges with alienated children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 60, 645-667. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2018.1529505
Interventions for severe PA: Family Reflections and Turning Points for Families	Wednesday, April 17 8-10 pm EST	Harman, J. J., Saunders, L., & Afifi, T. (2021). Evaluation of the Turning Points for Families (TPFF) program for severely alienated children. Journal of Family Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12366 Reay, K. M. (2015). Family reflections: A promising therapeutic program designed to treat severely alienated children and their family system. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 43(2), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2015.1007769
Impact of PA on children	Thursday, May 2 8-10 pm EST	Miralles, P., Godoy, C., & Hidalgo, M. D. (2023). Long-term emotional consequences of parental alienation exposure in children of divorced parents: A systematic review. Current Psychology, 42, 12055-12069. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02537-2 Wang, K., Xie, X., Zhang, T., Liu, F., Huang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2023). Change brings new life: the influence of parental alienating behaviors on adolescent depression. Current Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04973-8
Impact of PA on alienated parents	Thursday, May 16 8-10 pm EST	Lee-Maturana, S., Matthewson, M., & Dwan, C. (2021). Understanding targeted parents’ experience of parental alienation: A qualitative description from their own perspective. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 49(5), 499-516. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2020.1837035 Torun, F., Torun, S. D., & Matthewson, M. (2022). Parental alienation: Targeted parent experience in Turkey. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 50(2), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2021.1895903
Parental versus children’s accounts of parental alienating behaviors	Thursday, May 30 8-10 pm EST	Baker, A. J. L. (2005). Parental alienation strategies: A qualitative study of adults who experienced parental alienation as a child. American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 23(4), 41-63. Baker, A. J. L., & Darnall, D. (2006). Behaviors and strategies employed in parental alienation: A survey of parental experiences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 45(1-2), 97- 124. https://doi.org/10.1300/J087v45n01_06
Gender differences in the use of parental alienating behaviors	Thursday, June 13 8-10 pm EST	López, T. J., Iglesias, V. E. N., & García, P. F. (2014). Parental alienation gradient: Strategies for a syndrome. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(3), 217–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2013.820116   Harman, J. J., Lorandos, D., Biringen, Z., & Grubb, C. (2020). Gender differences in the use of parental alienating behaviors. Journal of Family Violence, 35(5), 459–469. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00097-5
Characteristics of alienating parents	Thursday, June 27 8-10 pm EST	Gordon, R. M., Stoffey, R., & Bottinelli, J. (2008). MMPI-2 findings of primitive defenses in alienating patients. American Journal of Family Therapy, 36(3), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926180701643313 Sharples, A., Harman, J. J., & Lorandos, D. (2023). Findings of abuse in families affected by parental alienation. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00575-x
Special event: Weathering Daubert, Mohan, and Frye hearings	Tuesday, July 9 8-10 pm EST	There are no assigned readings for this special event. It will be recorded and only available to paid registrants whose applications (can be submitted below) have been approved. The recording will not be made available to the general public. The seminar will feature Dr. Harman answering questions as if in a Daubert Hearing to facilitate a discussion on how best to face such challenges to the scientific evidence about parental alienation in the courtroom.

How to apply and register

• Using the form below, all interested attendees of the live seminar must provide their resume or CV to verify their professional credentials– only judicial, legal, or mental health professionals or may attend this live seminar series. You will also select which specific seminar topics you would like to attend. You are not committed to these selections. Recordings of the seminars are available to the general public for a rental or purchase fee.
• After professional status verification, participants are then able to register for live seminar events. An email invitation with a link to register for the OnZoom event will be sent after applying or about two weeks prior to each seminar, along with electronic files of the assigned articles for the seminar topic.
• All individuals who have had their credentials accepted will receive email announcements about future seminars or past recorded seminars they are eligible to register for. To opt out of these emails in the future, you can contact Dr. Harman at jenniferjillharman@gmail.com.
• Unfortunately, the OnZoom platform where the seminars will take place is only available to professionals within the U.S. The software is in its beta version, and so it will eventually be available internationally. If you are interested in the seminars but unable to attend because you are outside of the U.S., you can access the recordings using the links in the table above.