The long term effects of such recommendations, which are taking place in Australia, the US and UK 29, can be grave Achimovich, Lois. (2003).

Excerpts: page 6 paragraph 7 Achimovich, Lois. (2003).

"Their paper makes starts towards a more objective consideration of children who refuse visitation. However, like Gardner, they describe characteristics of the alienated child, the alienating parent and the alienated parent, and use his constructs to engage with the problem. Very little space is allowed for showing how the allegations, particularly with regard to abuse, are found to be false. Often the expert witness is the person charged with assessing whether abuse has happened. I would contend that some expert witnesses do not have the hands-on expertise to make this assessment and that by default, mainly due to the confusion of the laws governing use assessments whether abuse allegations in divorce proceedings, they are being asked to do what is usually a state - mandated activity. In this situation many are resorting to Gardner's concepts rather than to the body literature available on best practice in assessment of CSA allegations,". 27

Johnston and Kelly give more credence to Gardner's theoretical constructs than are his due. The same can be said of the paper by Matthew Sullivan and Joan B Kelly 28, with its tenor of conviction that the exercise of authority and force will solve the impasse. Where is the evidence? The long term effects of such recommendations, which are taking place in Australia, the US and UK 29, can be grave.

Achimovich, Lois. (2003). Parental Alienation Syndrome Revisited. Paper presented at the Child Sexual Abuse: Justice Response or Alternative Resolution Conference convened by the Australian Institute of Criminology and held in Adelaide, 1-2 May 2003.

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