Richard Warshak

Richard A. Warshak (born December 18, 1949) is an American clinical and research psychologist and author. He is best known for his research and advocacy in the areas of child custody, shared parenting, and claims of parental alienation in the context of divorce. Warshak has written three books, The Custody Revolution,[1] Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond From a Vindictive Ex,[2] and the revised edition, Divorce Poison: How to Protect Your Family from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing.[3]

Richard Warshak
Born1949
NationalityAmerican
EducationPh.D., Clinical psychology
Alma materUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Known forChild custody, Shared parenting, Parental alienation
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
ThesisThe Effects of Father Custody and Mother Custody on Children's Personality Development (1978)

Education

Warshak graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School[4] 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 in 1978 where he stayed to eventually become Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry.[5]

Research

Warshak's research has focused on issues relating to child custody. His doctoral dissertation, The Effects of Father Custody and Mother Custody on Children's Personality Development,[6] was the first study to directly compare children growing up in father-custody homes to children growing up in mother-custody homes.[7] He later collaborated with John Santrock on the Texas Custody Research Project on a series of studies on the effects of different custody dispositions and stepfamilies.[8]

Warshak's subsequent research in this area has focused on remarriage, relocation, parenting plans for young children, the American Law Institute's approximation rule and children's preferences in custody disputes. His child custody studies have been cited in case law and legislation.[9][10][11][12]

Parental alienation

In 2010, Warshak's articles on Family Bridges: A Workshop for Troubled and Alienated Parent-Child Relationships were followed by discussion of the concept of parental alienation by mental health professionals .[13] Warshak published an article that discussed the controversy about whether a child's alienation from a parent could be diagnosed as a syndrome and presented arguments both for and against the use of the term parental alienation syndrome.[14]

Warshak takes the position that a child's alienation from a parent may be the result of many causes, including the behavior of the rejected parent.[15][16]

Warshak asserts that the emotional and financial costs of severe alienation and the difficulties in repairing that damage make it important to identify children who are at risk and to educate judges. His educational video, Welcome Back, Pluto: Understanding, Preventing, and Overcoming Parental Alienation, is directed at children, teens, and young adults who are alienated or at risk for becoming alienated.[17] In addition to education, Warshak asserts that courts must rapidly and effectively enforce orders related to children's contact with both parents.[18]

Consensus report on shared parenting

In 2014 Warshak's article Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report, was published by the American Psychological Association in the journal Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.[19] The article summarized research on different child custody arrangements after divorce, recommending shared parenting in the vast majority of cases. Warshak's conclusions were endorsed by 110 other researchers and practitioners, many of whom held prominent academic and research positions.[20]

Positions and roles

Warshak was a founding member and past president of the Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology and was the founding editor of the Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology Bulletin.[21]

Media

Warshak has written several op-ed columns published in U.S. newspapers and online publications.[22] He was one of the five initial contributors to the Child and Family Blog co-sponsored by Princeton University, Brookings Institution, University of Cambridge, and the Jacobs Foundation.[23]

Warshak has been interviewed on television programs, including ABC 20/20,[24] and the PBS documentary TV Special, Kids & Divorce: For Better or Worse..[25] His work and opinions have been discussed in newspaper and magazine articles.[26]

Controversy

In the past Warshak led Family Bridges workshops for alienated children and their parents and now studies the outcome of this program. There is disagreement between professionals as to whether children should not be forced to live with the rejected parent or be court ordered to participate in any program or therapy aimed at rebuilding their relationship with the rejected parent, or whether such mandates may be beneficial.[27] [28]

Some children who participated programs associated with Warshak have complained about the experience.[29][30] According to a 2018 peer-reviewed study authored by Warshak, most workshop leaders, parents and children in the Family Bridges program reported positive experiences.[31] Warshaks's conclusions have been challenged, both in relation to his claimed evidentiary basis for the Family Bridges program and his reliance upon before-and-after studies instead of controlled studies.[27]

Selected publications

Books
  • The Custody Revolution. (1992). NY: Simon & Schuster.
  • Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond from a Vindictive Ex. (2002). NY: Harper Collins. Hardcover, paperback, Kindle and other e-book editions.
  • Divorce Poison: How to Protect the Parent-Child Bond from Bad-mouthing and Brainwashing. (2010). NY: Harper Collins.

Selected Articles
  • Santrock, J. W. & Warshak, R. A. (1979). Father custody and social development in boys and girls. Journal of Social Issues, 35 (4), 112-125.
  • Santrock, J. W., Warshak, R. A. et al. (1982). Children’s and parents’ observed social behavior in stepfather families. Child Development, 53 (2), 472-480.
  • Warshak, R. A. (1986). Father-custody and child development: A review and analysis of psychological research. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 4, 185-202.
  • Warshak, R. A. (2000). Social Science and Children’s Best Interests in Relocation Cases: Burgess Revisited. Family Law Quarterly, 34 (1), 83-113.
  • Warshak, R. A. (2003). Bringing Sense to Parental Alienation: a Look at the Disputes and the Evidence. Family Law Quarterly, 37, 273-301.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Warshak, R. A. (2015). Parental Alienation: Overview, Intervention, and Practice Tips. Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 27, in press.
  • Warshak, R. A. (2015). Ten Parental Alienation Fallacies that Compromise Decisions in Court and in Therapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 46 (4),235-249.
  • Warshak, R.A. (2018) Night Shifts: Revisiting Blanket Restrictions on Children's Overnights with Separated Parents, Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 59, 282-323.
  • Warshak, R.A. (2019) When Evaluators Get It Wrong: False Positive IDs and Parental Alienation, Psychology, Public Policy & Law, on line first October, 2019.

Selected Book chapters
  • Warshak, R. A. (2006). Social Science and Parental Alienation: Examining the Disputes and the Evidence. In R. A. Gardner, R. Sauber, and D. Lorandos (Eds.), The International Handbook of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Conceptual, Clinical and Legal Considerations. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, LTD.
  • Warshak, R. A. (2013). Severe Cases of Parental Alienation. In D. Lorandos, R. Sauber, and W. Bernet (Eds.), Parental Alienation: Handbook for Mental Health and Legal Professionals. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, LTD.

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. Midwood High School Brooklyn, NY Alumni List
  5. UT Southwestern Clinical Psychology Faculty
  6. 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.
  7. Behavior: Woe Is One. (1980, September 8).Time, 116 (10).
  8. Warshak, Richard A.; Santrock, John W. (March 1983). "The impact of divorce in father-custody and mother-custody homes: The child's perspective". New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. 1983 (19): 29–46. doi:10.1002/cd.23219831905.
  9. 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.
  10. Parental Alienation Case Law
  11. 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.
  12. Eduskunta (Finnish Parliament). Lapsen vieraannuttaminen etävanhemmastaan avioerotilanteessa.
  13. 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.
  14. Warshak, R. A. (2003). Bringing Sense to Parental Alienation: a Look at the Disputes and the Evidence. Family Law Quarterly, 37, 273-301.
  15. In Focus: Divorce Poison (2010-02-19). PBS KNME-TV.
  16. 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 addition 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."
  17. 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.
  18. Pigg, S. (2010, February 9). Tough Love From Texas. Toronto Star.
  19. Warshak, Richard A. (February 2014). "Social science and parenting plans for young children: A consensus report" (PDF). Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. 20 (1): 46–67. doi:10.1037/law0000005.
  20. Nielsen, Linda (December 2, 2015). "Pop Goes the Woozle: Being Misled by Research on Child Custody and Parenting Plans". Journal of Divorce & Remarriage. 56 (8): 595–633. doi:10.1080/10502556.2015.1092349.
  21. Brix, D. J.(1994). Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology: A brief history Archived 2011-11-13 at the Wayback Machine. 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.
  22. See, e.g., Warshak, Richard A. (April 8, 2016). "Making kids choose not wise in custody battles". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2020., "Richard Warshak". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  23. "Future of Children Launches Child and Family Blog". Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs. Princeton University. July 18, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  24. Sancho, Miguel; Cuomo, Chris (September 10, 2009). "Fighting for Liam: Michael McCarty Rails Against Italian Courts for Not Protecting Son". ABC News. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  25. Kane, Erin. "Kids & Divorce: For Better or Worse" (PDF) (Press release). Twin Cities Public Television and PBS. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  26. See, e.g., Arndt, Bettina (April 28, 2015). "Empty days, lonely nights". The Age. Retrieved January 21, 2020., Rochmann, Bonnie (May 19, 2011). "The Schwarzenegger Kids: Coping with Parental Betrayal in the Public Eye". Time. Retrieved January 21, 2020., Paul, Pamela (August 30, 2004). "Joint Custody Blues". Time. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  27. Mercer, Jean (June 3, 2019). "Examining Parental Alienation Treatments: Problems of Principles and Practices". Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. 36 (4): 355–357. doi:10.1007/s10560-019-00625-8.
  28. Fidler, B. J. & Bala, N. (2010). Children Resisting Postseparation Contact with a Parent: Concepts, Controversies, and Conundrums Family Court Review P. 25.
  29. Bundy, Trey (March 9, 2019). "Bitter custody". The Center for Investigative Reporting. Reveal. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  30. Tabachnick, Cara (May 11, 2017). "They were taken from their mom to rebond with their dad. It didn't go well". Washington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  31. Warshak, R. A. (2018). Reclaiming Parent–Child Relationships: Outcomes of Family Bridges with Alienated Children. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage. Five different measures completed by the children affirmed that most of the children had positive feelings about the experience and about the workshop leaders. But 8% of the children rated the workshop as “poor,” whereas 75% of the parents who participated in the workshop rated it as “excellent” and 25% rated it as “good.”
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