Showing posts with label Family Court. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Court. Show all posts

Wednesday

If You Seek a Bio-chemical Cause for Mental Health Disorders, You will become the “Little Train that Couldn’t”

If You Seek a Bio-chemical Cause for Mental Health Disorders, You will become the “Little Train that Couldn’t”

By Linda J. Gottlieb, LMFT, LCSW-r


If You Seek a Bio-chemical Cause for Mental Health Disorders, You will become the “Little Train that Couldn’t”

My opinion on the origin of mental illness is controversial to many in my profession. I maintain that emotional disturbances are situationally and not bio-chemically caused. But this position did not originate with me. It originated with my mentor, Salvador Minuchin, the world-renowned, highly respected child psychiatrist. Dr. Minuchin (as with his contemporaneous psychiatrists who founded the family therapy movement, such as Murray Bowen, Don Jackson, Jay Haley, Carl Whitaker, Nathan Ackerman, John Weakland, et al.) does not accept an intra-psychic or biochemical cause of mental disorders. Resulting from 65 years of practice, Dr. Minuchin affirms that traumatic situations; unhealthy relationships; and dysfunctional family dynamics, such as the PAS, cause mental health disorders. Diagnosis of mental health is not a science! There is no empirical evidence for any mental health disorder. You cannot inject the brain, withdraw serum, and have it analyzed. Any psychiatrist or mental health diagnostician worth his/her salt (and even those who are not worth their salt) must acknowledge that diagnosis of emotional disorders is based merely upon “impressions.” 

Mental health patients are guinea pigs when they are prescribed an array of psychotropic medications and subjected to a host of invasive procedures, such as ECT. At least Dr. Minuchin’s assessment for the cause of mental disorders offers optimism while remedy is benign and unintrusive: if you discard unhealthy relationships and situations, you will be symptom-free. A symptom free life is therefore possible without being subjected to invasive medications and procedures. Dr. Minuchin has recognized that he is a salmon swimming upstream when he articulates this; but think about it: if his analysis was to become the norm, then 90% of the psychiatric community would need to become educated about relationship therapy. And it would also be more costly for the health insurance industry, which would then have to incur the expenses of reimbursing for more protracted relationship therapy instead of for the quick fixes of drug therapy. No wonder there is such resistance to accepting this not so novel assessment of mental health diagnosis—-in spite of 60+ years of empirical evidence and scientific support for this perspective.

Although this may come as a shock to many readers, our current state of psychiatric diagnosis is NOT science. If it were, then psychotropic medications would not need to be persistently adjusted up or down in dosage, completely changed, and/or supplemented with other medications. The simple explanation for why medications so frequently fail to achieve a reduction in symptoms is because symptoms do not result from a chemical imbalance. Just compare the administration of medications for medical disorders: when, for example, an antibiotic is given for an infection, it is highly probable to be effective in resolving the symptoms. And if Dr. Minuchin was to be asked, he would likely explain that it is a patient’s history of having taken psychotropic medications that subsequently caused her/his chemical imbalance: in essence, such medications had upset a NORMAL chemical balance. Do not take my word for it: read the many books by Dr. Minuchin and the previously referred- to psychiatrists—-all of whose writings are listed in the reference at the conclusion of this article.

Dr. Minuchin’s opinion is supported by the recent research of Dr. Irving Kirsch, psychologist at Harvard University, who discovered that a placebo was equally as effective as were antidepressants in treating mild to moderately depressed patients. It was only the small percentage of highly depressed patients who responded better to antidepressants.


Friday

Two fundamental problems in our present family court system

We have identified two fundamental problems in our present family court system and have provided tentative solutions for them:

1. Lack of judicial accountability: in many areas of the country, especially in Florida, up to 80% of judges do not have to appear on the ballots when their term is over, so if they are doing a bad job, there is no viable way for the public to get them out. As a matter of fact, it looks like the worst a judge is, the less likely he/she will be challenged in elections.

Solution: constitutional amendment that will require all family court judges to appear on the ballots even if they have no one running against them (merit retention vote). Since judges may feel that we are targeting them, we have legislators willing to help us put an amendment that will even require all elected officials to appear on the ballots for a merit retention vote. I was told that this measure would be even easier to pass in Florida or even across the USA for we could get massive support from voters to strengthen our democracy. What elected official will argue against giving the people the power to decide if they are doing a good job or not? Only the ones that are doing a bad job, of course, so they would think twice before opposing such a measure. Accountability is essential to fixing this problem. The Pink Slip Project, at Newjudge.com, aims at this effort in Florida. Similar efforts are possible all over the USA, and around the world, if we unite to make this possible.

2. Inability to enforce judicial accountability: So, even if judges appear on the ballots, how can we make sure that we are able to vote off any judge not truly working towards the best interest of children and families?

Solution: The creation of a national organization to defend children and families in the USA. It will require presence in all states, and local branches in all judicial circuits. Its function will be to evaluate the performance of judges, and have volunteers ready to mobilize come election time to vote off any incompetent judges.

If you agree with these ideas and are willing to work towards these goals, send us a message, so we can have your name added to the Merit Retention Constitutional Amendment Coalition (MRCAC) group in Facebook, or you can provide your contact information to NewJudge1@gmail.com. United we can extirpate this cancer once and for all. 

Thank you in advance for your support.

We will be standing up and speaking up for our children.

Children need both parents! Stronger Families & Stronger Children Build Stronger Communities

Bring your parents, grandparents, children, friends and family.

We will be 1,000 strong in Tally!!!

About the Venue -- Saturday, November 5 at 9 AM - 6 PM

We are Fathers helping Fathers.

We are parents helping parents.


Stronger Families and Stronger Children Build Stronger Communities

We are Fathers helping Fathers.

We are parents helping parents.

We are advocates dedicated to bringing a change to end Fatherlessness in Florida.

Thursday

Family Court - Source of the Corruption?



Unhappy with child-custody award, woman and parents plotted to murder her ex-husband and his mom - ABA Journal »
A former elementary school teacher and her father pleaded guilty Thursday to their admitted roles in a plot to murder her former husband because they were unhappy with a child-custody award in the couple’s divorce case.
Then, after onetime third-grade teacher Kathleen Dorsett was arrested in the 2010 slaying of Stephen Moore, her mother, Lesley Dorsett, met with the jailed woman to plot the slaying of the dead victim’s mother, according to theAsbury Park Press and the Associated Press.
“The goal was to kill (her) because we were afraid she was going to testify,” Lesley Dorsett told a New Jersey judge during a hearing in Freehold. The Dorsetts also were reportedly unhappy because Evlyn Moore was awarded custody of her young granddaughter after the murder of her son.
However, Evlyn Moore was not harmed and attended Thursday’s court hearing. “I’m as satisfied today as I will ever be,” she told reporters afterward. “I feel that Stephen has gotten justice today.”
Lesley Dorsett, a former member of the Ocean Township school board, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit murder. Her husband and daughter pleaded guilty to murder and other charges.
The plot unraveled after Lesley Dorsett handed over an envelope filled with cash to the hit man she thought she was hiring to kill Evlyn Moore. In fact, he was an undercover cop who had been tipped by Kathleen Dorsett’s cellmate, according to the newspaper articles.
Prosecutors are expected to recommended an eight-year prison term for Lesley Dorsett, and 58 years, with no parole for at least 51 years, for her 38-year-old daughter, when the two are sentenced in August along with Thomas Dorsett, 66. He faces a potential 50-year sentence, with no parole for 30 years.
See also:
Asbury Park Press: “Inmate can testify about talks with woman charged with killing ex-husband”


Friday

Parental Alienation is Recognized as a Form of Child Abuse by American Psychological Association

CASE STUDIES OF PAS IN COURT

Compiled by DV LEAP, Joan Meier, Director, and Andrew Hudson (intern) for consideration by the Committee on the DSM-V

The following brief compilation includes cases that DV LEAP is aware of, either through its own litigation, that of colleagues, and/or press accounts. Where there are published appellate opinions, cases are cited instead in the accompanying memorandum overview of all published cases referencing PAS as of 2009. A very few cases are cited in both this memorandum and the accompanying one.

It is time to resolve our ambivalence and contradictory ideas about fathers’ and mothers’ roles in their children’s lives



Big changes are afoot Down Under. And these presage changes in the U.S., Canada and Europe as well.

For the past few years, a research report issued by the office of the Australian Attorney General, with statements of its lead author, has exerted a disproportionate impact on the lives of young children whose parents are separated. Bucking the trend to keep both parents regularly involved with their children whether or not the parents live together, Australia’s guidelines, widely adopted in the U.S., have discouraged allowing young children to spend overnights with both parents after separation. In most cases such “blanket restrictions” mean that mothers do all the caregiving at night.

Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. When they do dads are being made increasingly irrelevant in the life of their kids, often as a result of spite or malice, with tragic consequences on children, families and communities.

But all this is changing. Practically overnight. Australian professionals are shredding their guidelines in the light of two recent papers exposing the flawed science behind denying young children the pleasure of their dads’ bedtime stories. A balanced view of the research data supports common sense. If young children can take naps during the day under their fathers’ watchful eyes, they can sleep at night in their fathers’ homes. If young children can be apart from their working mothers all day long, they shouldn’t be deprived of quality time with their dads during the night.
Strong parent-child bonds begin at birth — for mothers and for fathers. Caring for children at night and being there in the morning is part of the process of developing a solid relationship. The more time parents spend with their infants and toddlers, the better able they are to read their baby’s signals and respond sensitively to their children’s needs. In two-parent homes we encourage hands-on shared parenting night and day. It takes nothing away from mother-child relationships when dads change diapers and bathe babies.
One of the game-changing papers, I am proud to say, was mine. But I had a lot of help with it. The manuscript was improved, vetted, and endorsed by 110 scholars, from 15 countries, who are at the top of their professions: Professors Emeriti, Deans, former Presidents of professional associations such as the American Psychological Association, and department heads. Collectively the group have about 10,000 publications to their credit.

We were united in wanting to make a public statement about where science stands on the issue of young children’s needs following their parents’ separation. Our goal was not just to clarify the accepted, settled science. We wanted to ensure that reliable science plays an important role in policy and decisions about young children’s contacts with each parent. Read about the consensus reporthere.

False Allegations Hurt Children!

False Allegations Hurt Children!

“When you are falsely accused (and intentionally for that matter) the pain can be crippling at times. 
That aside; I wish people cared about what their false allegations would do to the children involved. Even with the pain I suffered and the meds I now have to take on a daily basis, I would have given my life to take my children’s pain and fear of being taken from me away.” — Sara


WHAT CONSTITUTES A FAMILY OFFENSE?



The criminal behavior which has been “civilized” by Family Court Act Article 8 is defined in the penal laws.



This is a crucial aspect to determine whether or not a family offense petition makes out a prima facia case, and is too often overlooked when defending against a family offense petition. Many practitioners look solely to whether or not the alleged actions occurred.



More importantly, a judge is supposed to look at whether or not the petitioner can prove all the necessary elements of the family offense alleged and defined in the penal laws.

Each of the family offenses requires that the petitioner allege and prove intent or recklessness or a repeated course of conduct. A few of the family offenses require a prior such offense conviction.

Thursday

A form of child abuse has been associated with anxiety, depression, criminality and even suicide in child victims.

A new billboard campaign will spotlight a form of child abuse called parental  alienation.

Parental Alienation is associated with anxiety, depression, criminality and even suicide in child victims.

The billboard image shows a child being pulled out of the loving arms of her father while declaring:

"I am not parental prey. Help me keep mommy AND daddy."
SOURCE: Canadian Association for Equality

Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. When they do dads are being made increasingly irrelevant in the life of their kids, often as a result of spite or malice, with tragic consequences on children, families and communities.

Tuesday

Exposing The Methods An Alienating Parent Uses To Brainwash Their Child.

Isolation is the KEY to Manipulation.

Isolation. The act of isolating, or the state of being isolated, insulation, separation; loneliness.
Manipulation. A method of changing an individual’s attitudes or allegiances through the use of drugs, torture or psychological techniques, any form of indoctrination, alluding to the literal erasing of what is in or on one’s mind.
Brain Washing used to be associated exclusively with the act or practice of manipulating. The state of being manipulated. Shrewd or devious management, especially for one’s own advantage. Indirect control, as of an advisor; power to affect the opinions.
If you isolate the target You can say what you want about them. If you isolate the victim and only allow contact with allies you have complete control. This is an "Alienation Tactic".

Parental Rights to End at the School Door?

In a recent article of the Fairfax (VA) Times [1], a school board candidate wrote,

“some members of the School Board argued the school’s duty in loco parentis – to stand in the parent’s place – essentially means that parents’ rights over their children end at the school door. No parent in Fairfax County would agree.”
You probably wouldn’t agree, either. Unfortunately, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already has. In its 2005 case Fields v. Palmdale [2], the court held that the parents’ fundamental right 

“does not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.”
In Palmdale, the issue was a graphic sex-ed curriculum. In Fairfax, it was interrogating students without notifying parents. But whatever the issue,

“once parents make the choice as to which school their children will attend, their fundamental right to control the education of their children is, at the least, substantially diminished. (Fields v. Palmdale)
This should not be the case. Please act now to reverse this assault by big government courts against parental rights.

Then, pass this on! Every parent of a public school student needs to know the extent to which the courts have robbed them of their rights. Add the message to your Facebook page, or use the button to add it to any social network.

Every child has the right to be raised and represented by parents who love them, and not by disconnected government bureaucrats. Help us to preserve that right today!

Thursday

When truth is buried underground it grows.


When truth is buried underground it grows, it chokes, it gathers such an explosive force than on the day it bursts out, it blows up everything with it.

Lying In Family Court by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. 

When I became a family law attorney/mediator after a dozen years as a therapist, one of the biggest surprises was the extent of lying in Family Court: lies about income, assets and even complete fabrications of child abuse and domestic violence. Why would people lie so much, I wondered? How did they get away with it? The following is my psycho-social analysis of what I believe has become an epidemic: 

Men lie: It was a sad phone call from a relatively new client. He informed me his father had just died. He had quit his job and was moving back east to wrap up his father's affairs. He asked me to tell his wife's attorney that he would not be able to pay child support for their three young children for a long time. (There was no support order yet.)


The next day, his wife's attorney called me back and described how upset his wife was to learn of her father-in-law's death. So upset, that she had called his father -- and had a nice chat!


Women lie: A mother involved in a custody battle told the court in dramatic detail about physical abuse at the hands of her husband. She even submitted reports of visits to doctors and emergency rooms for her bruises.


However, a court-ordered psychological evaluation determined the allegations were false. The court agreed and awarded custody to the father. A few weeks later the mother picked up the children from school and disappeared for a year. She was caught, sent to jail for parental kidnapping, and the children returned to the father

Societal Increase in Lying


Surveys show that lying has increased over the past decade. In 1999 alone: the President was tried in Congress for perjury; a popular journalist in Boston was publicly fired for fabricating heart-rending stories; and a scientist was exposed for falsifying research on a high-profile safety issue.


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