Wow... I know it's been a while and if you're still paying attention, thank you. A lot has happened over the past couple of years; too much to say in one post of course, so I'll start with a current situation.
Sadly I'm witnessing in family court that there are attorneys, GALs (Guardian ad litem) and therapists who work together to support a biased perspective, which doesn't often represent the best interest of the children; but the best interest of which parent can pay the most or at least which lawyer can 'win.'
There's a case where a father hasn't seen his kids for near five years. In Feb/2016 at a court session, I heard the GAL had no documentation about the mother who abducted the children from their home state and then made false allegations against the father to have him jailed every time he attempted to contact them.
This GAL seemed biased in his description of the father when he gave his testimony, but clearly stated the mother's testimony as if it were fact, which was full of unfounded allegations of domestic violence. To do my due diligence as a mental health provider, I sent him those documents to help him understand a balanced perspective when making decisions on behalf of the children...
The truth is, the mother is the violent one of the two parents. She has a history of being physically aggressive and feigning being abused. There's even documented proof; including a domestic violence charge from when she abused him in front of the children.
However, and here's the issue....the GAL didn't want the documentation when I offered it to him. WHAT? Yep, that's what I said; the GAL didn't want the documentation. He used the justification that I am biased due to my personal friendship with the father.
Ok, so I can see why my opinion may be viewed as biased, but legal documents? Certainly the legal documents wouldn't have my alleged bias. Why wouldn't a GAL want evidence that demonstrates the mother's violent past as well as her abuse of the legal system by making multiple unfounded allegations? Isn't he supposed to represent the best interest of the children? Hmmm...
The reunification therapist did the same thing. We in the mental health field have an obligation to be thorough, unbiased and most importantly, DO NO HARM. GALs are usually attorneys with minimal education on child development and psychology. Frankly, I don't know why they are given legal influence in such sensitive situations... but I'm not surprised when they don't act on the best interest of children and seem to be 'bought' into their stance.
Now let me make this clear, I don't think all GALs are dishonest and unethical. In fact, I've worked with some amazing GALs who really work hard on behalf of the children. But in this case, something doesn't add up... and the therapist dropped the ball as well.
What's scary is this therapist teaches a course about parent alienation and the reunification process.... Yep, and she didn't even follow her own guidelines. But when she was questioned by the father about being biased, she terminated her services without discussion and shifted blame to him for why he still hasn't seen his children. Never did she attempt to ease his concerns. Never did she help him prepare for the initial reunification, nor give him any knowledge about what the kids believed (or have been told) about him, among a list of other issues that are concerning regarding her 'treatment.'
One would think she'd be familiar with the fundamental attribution error (See below: Why courts fail to recognize PAS) in cases such as this. One would hope she has researched the topic that she'd understand the behaviors of a man who hasn't seen his kids for several years, and gets jailed when he attempts to contact them, as being consistent with PTSD. (Side note: his attempts to contact them were via email, the last arrest was for a third party contact when he tried to contact her lawyer... somehow that caused her enough fear to enforce the Protective Order) However, there are multiple texts and emails from the mom to the dad around the very same time. The fact that this therapist backed out after his questioning her services speaks volumes about her lack of knowledge in this area, and/or she was also being 'bought' by the mother's attorney.
Also, I question if she kept any documentation of the sessions since she had to ask for his mailing address to send him her letter of termination. I actually saw the paperwork that he filled out for her, which had his address completed. In a mental health practice, it is required to keep an active file of current patients. Why wouldn't she have an address when he provided completed forms of her paperwork, along with a $1500 check she took with ease? Again, fishy or possibly poor standards of practice.
Ok, so I've given a lot of info in a long post. This case is in a holding pattern for the moment, but I'll update as I can. I may provide the names of both the GAL and therapist at some point, but I'm going to hold off to hopefully see them make what they did wrong right. I will tell you they work in the Salt Lake City, Utah area...
Thank you again for taking the time... I refuse to sit down when children need real advocates... Peace
Below are some information (unrelated to this case) about some of the problems in the family court system and how children get caught up in the middle of the chaos:
Linda Gottlieb speak to Child Custody Task Force
Why courts fail to recognize PAS
DivorceCorp Clip
Sadly I'm witnessing in family court that there are attorneys, GALs (Guardian ad litem) and therapists who work together to support a biased perspective, which doesn't often represent the best interest of the children; but the best interest of which parent can pay the most or at least which lawyer can 'win.'
There's a case where a father hasn't seen his kids for near five years. In Feb/2016 at a court session, I heard the GAL had no documentation about the mother who abducted the children from their home state and then made false allegations against the father to have him jailed every time he attempted to contact them.
This GAL seemed biased in his description of the father when he gave his testimony, but clearly stated the mother's testimony as if it were fact, which was full of unfounded allegations of domestic violence. To do my due diligence as a mental health provider, I sent him those documents to help him understand a balanced perspective when making decisions on behalf of the children...
The truth is, the mother is the violent one of the two parents. She has a history of being physically aggressive and feigning being abused. There's even documented proof; including a domestic violence charge from when she abused him in front of the children.
However, and here's the issue....the GAL didn't want the documentation when I offered it to him. WHAT? Yep, that's what I said; the GAL didn't want the documentation. He used the justification that I am biased due to my personal friendship with the father.
Ok, so I can see why my opinion may be viewed as biased, but legal documents? Certainly the legal documents wouldn't have my alleged bias. Why wouldn't a GAL want evidence that demonstrates the mother's violent past as well as her abuse of the legal system by making multiple unfounded allegations? Isn't he supposed to represent the best interest of the children? Hmmm...
The reunification therapist did the same thing. We in the mental health field have an obligation to be thorough, unbiased and most importantly, DO NO HARM. GALs are usually attorneys with minimal education on child development and psychology. Frankly, I don't know why they are given legal influence in such sensitive situations... but I'm not surprised when they don't act on the best interest of children and seem to be 'bought' into their stance.
Now let me make this clear, I don't think all GALs are dishonest and unethical. In fact, I've worked with some amazing GALs who really work hard on behalf of the children. But in this case, something doesn't add up... and the therapist dropped the ball as well.
What's scary is this therapist teaches a course about parent alienation and the reunification process.... Yep, and she didn't even follow her own guidelines. But when she was questioned by the father about being biased, she terminated her services without discussion and shifted blame to him for why he still hasn't seen his children. Never did she attempt to ease his concerns. Never did she help him prepare for the initial reunification, nor give him any knowledge about what the kids believed (or have been told) about him, among a list of other issues that are concerning regarding her 'treatment.'
One would think she'd be familiar with the fundamental attribution error (See below: Why courts fail to recognize PAS) in cases such as this. One would hope she has researched the topic that she'd understand the behaviors of a man who hasn't seen his kids for several years, and gets jailed when he attempts to contact them, as being consistent with PTSD. (Side note: his attempts to contact them were via email, the last arrest was for a third party contact when he tried to contact her lawyer... somehow that caused her enough fear to enforce the Protective Order) However, there are multiple texts and emails from the mom to the dad around the very same time. The fact that this therapist backed out after his questioning her services speaks volumes about her lack of knowledge in this area, and/or she was also being 'bought' by the mother's attorney.
Also, I question if she kept any documentation of the sessions since she had to ask for his mailing address to send him her letter of termination. I actually saw the paperwork that he filled out for her, which had his address completed. In a mental health practice, it is required to keep an active file of current patients. Why wouldn't she have an address when he provided completed forms of her paperwork, along with a $1500 check she took with ease? Again, fishy or possibly poor standards of practice.
Ok, so I've given a lot of info in a long post. This case is in a holding pattern for the moment, but I'll update as I can. I may provide the names of both the GAL and therapist at some point, but I'm going to hold off to hopefully see them make what they did wrong right. I will tell you they work in the Salt Lake City, Utah area...
Thank you again for taking the time... I refuse to sit down when children need real advocates... Peace
Below are some information (unrelated to this case) about some of the problems in the family court system and how children get caught up in the middle of the chaos:
Linda Gottlieb speak to Child Custody Task Force
Why courts fail to recognize PAS
DivorceCorp Clip
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