Resistance, Refusal (Alienation) and the Child's Brain
When a child resists or refuses contact with a parent after separation, professionals and parents alike are left guessing. This 1-hour course looks at what may be happening in the child's brain: from neurons and developing synapses to emotional intensity and repetition, it explains the patterns that mystify everyone involved in these cases.
Your instructor
Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.
Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer, High Conflict Institute
500,000+
professionals trained worldwide
Alienation cases look baffling until you look at the brain.
Why do alienation and realistic estrangement look so similar on the surface? Why does resistance and refusal usually take hold between ages 9 and 13? Why are an alienated child's stated reasons for rejecting a parent so minor, and the rejection so absolute, without the ambivalence you'd expect? Brain research offers grounded answers that change how you approach these cases.
Outcomes you'll bring back from Resistance, Refusal and the Child's Brain.
- Explain what may be happening in a child's brain as resistance to a parent develops.
- Understand why alienation and realistic estrangement look so similar on the surface.
- Understand why resistance and refusal usually take hold between ages 9 and 13.
- Make sense of the minor or trivial stated reasons alienated children give.
- Understand the all-good/all-bad purity of an alienated child's view of each parent.
- Use research on emotional intensity and repetition to inform your case approach.
Who Resistance, Refusal and the Child's Brain is built for.
Family Lawyers
Ground your resist-refuse cases in brain science instead of competing narratives.
Therapists & Counselors
A developmental frame for working with resistant children and both parents.
Custody Evaluators
Sharpen the alienation-vs-estrangement analysis at the heart of these evaluations.
Parenting Coordinators
Explain the dynamics to parents in language that lowers the temperature.
Mediators
Help parents understand what their child's brain is doing before negotiating parenting time.
Parents & Grandparents
If a child in your family is resisting contact, understand what may be driving it.
How Resistance, Refusal and the Child's Brain is delivered.
A 1-hour on-demand video course. Watch at your own pace, with the slides as a keep-forever reference.
- 60-minute video course — The brain research behind resistance, refusal, and estrangement patterns.
- PowerPoint PDF — Downloadable slides to keep as a reference.
- Certificate of Completion — 1 hour documented.
Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.
Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute. He pioneered the High Conflict Personality Theory (HCP) and is an international expert on managing disputes involving people with high-conflict personalities. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books, manuals, and workbooks, co-host of the podcast It's All Your Fault!, and writes a Psychology Today blog with millions of views.
Before co-founding HCI, Bill was the Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center for 15 years, a Certified Family Law Specialist lawyer representing clients in family court for 15 years, and a licensed clinical social worker therapist with twelve years of experience. He has served on the faculty of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law, taught as a Conjoint Associate Professor with the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia, and trained professionals in over 35 U.S. states and 13 countries.
Trusted by professionals across industries.
Awesome and very helpful. I need to watch over and over. Seeing the video has had a very positive impact on my approach to child alienation cases. The video should be mandatory viewing for all lawyers practicing family law.
Resistance, Refusal and the Child's Brain — frequently asked questions.
Who is this course for?
Does this course teach an intervention?
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Will I get continuing education credit?
Is this legal or therapeutic advice?
Ready to enroll?
Enroll an individual seat now, or talk to us about a private cohort designed around your organization's actual cases.
