Author: GreatCosmicMothersUnited

I have joined with many parents affected with the surreal , yet accepted issue of child abuse via Pathogenic Parenting / Domestic abuse. As a survivor of Domestic Abuse, denial abounded that 3 sons were not affected. In my desire to be family to those who have found me lacking . As a survivor of psychiatric abuse, therapist who abused also and toxic prescribed medications took me to hell on earth with few moments of heaven. I will share my life, my experiences and my studies and research.. I will talk to small circles and I will council ; as targeted parents , grandparents , aunts , uncles etc. , are denied contact with a child for reasons that serve the abuser ...further abusing the child. I grasp the trauma and I have looked at the lost connection to a higher power.. I grasp when one is accustomed to privilege, equality can feel like discrimination.. Shame and affluence silences a lot of facts , truths that have been labeled "negative". It is about liberation of the soul from projections of a alienator , and abuser ..

Victim vs Survivor- Charlie McCready

A victim can be described as someone who has experienced harm, pain, or trauma – someone who experiences parental alienation and having their children unjustly turned against them. This harm inflicted by the alienating parent might be emotional, psychological, or even, in some cases, physical.⁠

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On the other hand, a survivor has faced the same adversity but has taken a different path in response to it. Typically, when we realise what’s happening, we’re shocked and can become paralyzed by the trauma. This is accompanied by a sense of helplessness and inability to move forward. Many don’t want to ‘move on’ in any way as they fear this means quitting or somehow giving up on their alienated children. Overcoming this horrific and poorly understood and supported experience is no mean feat. Reclaiming your strength and joy in life is not easy, but it is possible, and when others see you do it, you empower them to do the same. Overcoming trauma, including parental alienation, involves understanding the pathology, accepting it’s happened/is happening, and healing, self-discovery, and personal growth. It often requires rebuilding a sense of self-worth. ⁠

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Alienated parents and alienated children survive this experience in different ways. For example, alienated children psychologically ‘split’ due to cognitive dissonance and the inability to hold two contrasting ideas. In this way, unawareness (as with emotional cutoff) is a powerful survival technique when information threatens their status quo. It safeguards them from potential harm or distress. Being unaware or avoiding certain truths becomes a coping strategy. They may unconsciously choose to remain ignorant or suppress awareness to shield themselves from the potential negative consequences of that knowledge. They may be burying feelings of shame, guilt and confusion behind a show of confidence, criticism, and grandiosity. ⁠

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The healing journey for both alienated parents and children involves recognising the harm inflicted, fostering genuine self-acceptance, moving out of any sense of victimhood, and experiencing growth and resilience that empowers you to survive all ongoing conflicts or challenges. ⁠

#charliemccready

#parentalalienationcoach

#narcissisticparent

#OvercomingAdversity

#parentalalienation

#parentalalienationawareness

#FamilyCourt

#ChildCustody

Craig Childress, PsyD – Family Courts lacking diagnosis info & legit parents

The forensic psychologists are withholding a diagnosis from the courts and from the litigant parents.

As a result, the courts don’t have the necessary information for decision-making surrounding the child, and one of the litigants (the targeted parent) does not have the necessary information to fully make their case to the court for a child protection response.

Court-involved psychologists should NOT be withholding highly relevant diagnostic information from the courts and the litigant parents.

The doctors need to be doctors, they need to formally diagnose the problem (pathology) using the DSM-5 & ICD-11 diagnostic systems, and then tell the court and the litigant parents what that diagnosis is.

This allows each litigant to present their case to the court and to challenge a clearly made diagnosis if they choose. The appellate system for a disputed diagnosis is second opinion.

I recommend that we get that second (and third) opinion throuigh telehealth right at the initial assessment point, thereby giving the court clear mental health information on which to base its decisions – and for a treatment plan to fix the diagnosed problem.

The legal system lands on the wrong end-point, the custody decision of the court. Healthcare lands on the proper end-point, treatment, we need to fix the problem.

Throughout healthcare, diagnosis guides treatment. What is the DSM-5/ICD-11 diagnosis for the pathology (problem)?

They won’t tell you. The forensic psychologists in the family courts won’t tell you what the DSM-5 diagnosis is. They refuse. They are intentionally withholding relevant evidence – the DSM-5 diagnosis – from the court and from the litigant parents.

That’s exactly the problem. The forensic psychologists are breaking the system… for their own financial and career status gain.

The moment the psychologists start returning DSM-5 diagnoses of Child Psychological Abuse (a shared persecutory delusion & FDIA), that will indicate the previous failure of the forensic psychologists to protect the child and targeted parent.

The forensic psychologists are highly motivated now to NOT diagnose the Child Psychological Abuse (DSM-5 V995.51), Delusional Disorder (shared/induced); persecutory type (DSM-5 297.1), and FDIA (DSM-5 300.19) because it will expose their prior failure – throughout their career.

The forensic psychologists in the family courts are intentionally – intentionally – disabling the mental health system’s response to child psychological abuse (DSM-5 V995.51) in the family courts for their personal financial and career-status gain.

Debate: Are Forensic Psychologists Intentionally Disabling the Mental Health System Response to Child Abuse?

Yes: Dr. Childress

No: Pick one. Anyone. How about Dr. Saini, he’s President of the AFCC. How about him? Or anyone. Surly there’s a forensic psychologist who will argue that they are NOT intentionally disabling the mental health system response to child abuse?

Crickets. Watch.

I’m encountering them. They’re encountering me. Howdy, I’m Dr. Childress, pleased to meet you. Are you aware of Standard 2.04 of the APA ethics code?

Are you aware that the DSM-5 & ICD-11 diagnostic systems are among the “established scientific and professional knowledge of the discipline” required – mandatory – for application as the bases for professional judgments?

So? What’s your DSM-5 diagnosis for the child and family problem?

You’re a doctor. That’s your job. Tell the court and the parents what your DSM-5 diagnosis is… and why. Cite to the symptoms, cite to the diagnostic criteria.

Does the child have a fixed and false belief maintained despite contrary evidence (i.e., a delusion) that the child is being malevolently treated in some way by the normal-range parenting of the targeted parent (i.e., a persecutory delusion)?

A litigant parent – the targeted parent – needs an answer to that question for their arguments made to the court. You’re the court-involved psychologist, that’s your “field” of practice – so – answer the diagnostic question for the litigant parent and court.

They won’t answer the question. They are intentionally withholding the diagnostic information – they’re covering up their prior failure. Oh my.

We’re in the active cover-up phase now – which will expand into a larger conflict of interest.

To fix the broken mental health system response to the pathology in the family courts, we need to acknowledge that the experimental quasi-judicial role of forensic custody evaluators failed, and that we need to return to established healthcare of diagnosis and treatment.

But the moment we eliminate forensic custody evaluations and return to clinical diagnostic assessments… they lose their jobs. They are a failed model. Bye-bye, no one needs a “forensic custody evaluation” anymore.

There is currently a tremendous conflict of interest with forensic psychologist in positions of authority and influence. To change means to acknowledge their failure – and they will need to exit the family courts.

They misdiagnosed child abuse their entire careers and were responsible for disabling the mental health system response to child abuse that irrevocably destroyed the lives of thousands of children and their parent.

They experimented on human subjects, the parents and children in the family courts, with their made-up “quasi-judicial” role for doctors. Their experiment on children and parents was a complete and total failure.

They need to go away. They don’t want to go away because this is their career. We’re in the cover-up phase now – entering the conflict of interest phase.

It will get worse for them, and worse, and worse. Reality is what reality is. The DSM-5 diagnosis is V995.51 Child Psychological Abuse (DSM-5 297.1 Delusional Disorder; DSM-5 300.19 FDIA).

Howdy. I’ve been retained in this matter to review your work. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Craig Childress, Psy.D.

Clinical Psychologist

WA 61538481

OR 3942 – CA 18857

Impact on mental health due to Parental Alienation

Last year, I wrote about the stellar work of Professor Ben Hine, a Professor of Applied Psychology, and so it was a real pleasure to recently hear him discussing his groundbreaking research into the effects of family breakdowns, separation, and divorce on parents and children. His research, conducted in collaboration with other luminaries in the field, such as Jennifer Harman, sheds crucial light on the prevalence and impact of parental alienating behaviours (PABs) as well as their profound impact on mental health, and it offers valuable insights into what needs to change to address this pervasive issue. ⁠

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You can find his research papers online, but here is an overview:⁠

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To understand the scale of the problem, his team surveyed over 1,000 separated or divorced parents in the first national study of its kind in the UK. When asked directly whether they had experienced PABs, 39.2% of participants reported that they had. However, when specific behaviours were described to them, this number rose to 59.1%. This stark difference highlights how difficult it can be to identify PABs, even for those who have suffered from them, underscoring the need for greater awareness and understanding.⁠

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The study also uncovered the severe mental health consequences of PABs. Participants who had experienced alienation reported significantly higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and even thoughts of suicide. The damage caused by PABs is not just a “difficult family dynamic”; it is a form of psychological abuse with far-reaching consequences for parents and children alike.Many also disclosed that their experiences of PABs were accompanied by domestic violence, echoing similar findings in studies conducted in the US and Canada.⁠

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Professor Hine emphasised the importance of developing a comprehensive response to this issue. He called for better mental health support for families, including training for professionals, the creation of support groups, and access to counselling. Schools and the legal system also need to be involved, as they are often on the front lines of these complex family dynamics. Equally vital is the need for large-scale public awareness campaigns to educate society about the existence and impact of PABs, helping to reduce stigma and encourage action. As you know if you read my posts, I advocate this myself, and could not agree more strongly.

The research also revealed the importance of refining the tools used to identify PABs. The gap between participants’ direct responses and their recognition of specific behaviours shows that alienation is often hidden or misunderstood. By improving these tools, researchers and professionals can better understand the scope of the problem and develop more effective interventions.

The pervasiveness of Parental Alienating Behaviors demands urgent attention and concerted action from policymakers, professionals, and society. By acknowledging the intricate dynamics of post-separation relationships and prioritizing the well-being of affected families, we can work towards fostering healthier parent-child bonds and mitigating the enduring impact of parental alienation on individuals and communities.

#charliemccready

#parentalalienationcoach

#coercivecontrol

#FamilyCourt

#alienatingbehaviour

Agreeing just to keep the peace /Trauma Response – Charlie McCready

Agreeing to things just to keep the peace is a trauma response. It’s a way of surviving in a hostile or controlling environment where saying ‘no’ or ‘I don’t believe you’ isn’t an option without severe consequences. This response is often seen in alienated children—children who have been manipulated and coerced to the point that their own needs and feelings no longer matter. Instead, they learn to prioritise the emotions and expectations of the alienating parent. They walk on eggshells, eager to placate and please, because defiance causes even more trauma than they’re already dealing with.

This behaviour becomes a form of self-protection, a way to avoid conflict and ensure that they remain in the good graces of the parent who controls their reality. Over time, these children can lose the ability to recognise their own boundaries, and their sense of self becomes enmeshed with the parent’s demands and manipulations. Their ‘agreeability’ isn’t a sign of compliance but of survival. They’ve learned that resistance leads to emotional punishment—withdrawal of love, guilt trips, or accusations of betrayal. So, they agree, they nod along, and they become what they think the alienating parent wants them to be, sacrificing their own comfort, autonomy, and well-being.

Similarly, the need to be constantly busy can also be a sign of trauma. When a child is caught in a world of conflicting loyalties and intense emotional manipulation, stillness and quiet can become unbearable. There’s research into ADHD and alienated children which is very interesting, if alarming. But being alone with their thoughts means confronting feelings of anxiety, guilt, and confusion—the result of a parent’s relentless campaign to control their mind and emotions. Constant busyness, then, becomes a way to avoid these feelings—a distraction from the chaos brewing beneath the surface.

But this coping strategy comes at a cost. It prevents them from ever truly understanding what they want, who they are, and where their own boundaries lie. Instead, they become attuned to others, hyper-vigilant to the moods and reactions of those around them, and disconnected from their own inner world. The challenge is that these patterns sometimes can persist into adulthood, long after the child has left the direct influence of the alienating parent. We, as alienated parents, have had to learn this the hard way. Many of us lived for years in a state of constant appeasement—agreeing, conceding, and sacrificing parts of ourselves to keep the peace with our abusive ex-partners. It’s taken time, therapy, and a great deal of inner work to realise that

agreeing just to avoid conflict isn’t harmony. And we’ve had to learn to say ‘no’, to walk away, and to reclaim our sense of sovereignty.

The same journey is ahead for our children. They, too, will have to unlearn the trauma responses they developed out of necessity. They will need to realise, as we did, that their value doesn’t lie in their ability to keep the peace, to stay busy, or to put others’ needs before their own. One day, we hope they will come to understand that they are not just the product of a manipulative parent’s expectations. They are not defined by the demands of those who sought to control (or hurt) them. And when our children are ready, we hope they find the strength within themselves—the courage to live life on their own terms.

#charliemccready

#parentalalienationcoach

#traumabond

#traumabonding

#emotionalabuse

#mentalhealth

#mothersmatter

#FathersMatterToo

#FathersMatter

#FamilyCourt

#custody

#parentalalienation

#childcustody

#mothersrights

#fathersrights

#childrensrights

#custodybattle

#parentalalienationawareness