‘The APA has, in fact, heretofore made a significant endorsement of the validity of PAS’

One of the principle arguments of the mothers' advocates who seek to discredit Parental Alienation is to say that it has been "debunked" by professionals in the field. This is simply false.

On Fox's Morning Show with Mike and Juliet last week Dr. Joy Silberg of the anti-father Leadership Council was asked if she believes that Parental Alienation Syndrome exists. She replied:

I really don't, and it isn't just me. All of the major professional organizations--the American Bar Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Council for Juvenile Justices.

I replied:

You're really overstating--it's not all by any means. There are people within the American Bar Association, people within the American Psychological Association on both sides of the issue. I could give you a long list of mental health professionals and family law attorneys who say this is real.

We dealt with this issue at the time of our successful Campaign Against PBS's Father-Bashing Breaking the Silence in 2005. During the controversy over the film, the film's feminist supporters insisted that Parental Alienation Syndrome had been discredited and attacked by the American Psychological Association.

In the documentary Joan Meier, a professor of clinical law at George Washington University and one of the film's chief spokespersons, states that PAS "has been thoroughly debunked by the American Psychological Association." Connecticut Public Television, one of the film's producers, put out a press release promoting the film which stated that PAS had been "discredited by the American Psychological Association."

Rhea K. Farberman, Executive Director of Public and Member Communications of the American Psychological Association, publicly retorted that these feminist these claims are "incorrect" and "inaccurate," and that the APA "does not have an official position on parental alienation syndrome--pro or con."

Despite the enormous political pressure put on the APA by misguided women's advocates who oppose PAS, the APA has put out mixed messages about Parental Alienation Syndrome.

During the PBS controversy I asked shared parenting advocate Les Veskrna, MD to write an article for my site sorting out the truth about the APA and PAS. According to Veskrna, "The APA has, in fact, heretofore made a significant endorsement of the validity of PAS."

Read Veskrna's full piece here.

Liberty Medal for Courage Writes about His Family Court Struggle in A Father's Right Decorated hero Anthony Gallo tells of his struggle to be reunited with his daughter in his new book A Father's Right. Gallo says, "I never could have imagined that my little daughter would be ripped out of my life. Family Court has no consideration for fathers." Buy A Father's Right by Anthony Gallo here. Contact the author at fathersright@yahoo.com.

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