Education and support programs in schools for children

Aperçu:

Parental Alienation a form of abuse that happens not only in my community but all over the world and its true victims are the children. Parental alienation (or Hostile Aggressive Parenting) is a group of behaviors that are damaging to children's mental and emotional well-being, and can interfere with a relationship of a child and either parent. These behaviors most often accompany high conflict marriages, separation or divorce. It is time we pull together and implement prevention intervention programs for our students concerning divorce and custody. Statistics show that 25% or more children of divorce will suffer emotional trauma as a result of their parents’ actions. Presenting problems for children involved in high conflict divorces may include, but are not limited to: aggression, depression, attention deficit disorder, poor academic performance, bullying, and oppositional defiance disorder. Many of these same children, due to their pathology, become labeled as a result, when, in fact, the pathology is not the children’s but that of their parents. Studies also show that parents are more apt to attend counseling sessions in the schools before agreeing to outside services. This means that we, as school personnel, can help the students if we step up to the plate and offer services to the family unit. At this time, school counselors are not required to take courses in family counseling, but that does not prevent school counseling majors from adding family counseling to their knowledge base. Acquiring family counseling skills, as well as an in-depth understanding of the emotional abuse that occurs in children, will allow counselors to assist parents in restructuring their behavior for the sake of their children. It is my hope that this very worthy cause receives the much needed financial and media support that it so desperately needs.... Sincerely, Frances Uhran