TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains details of horrific child abuse which may cause distress. We recommend you do not read this if you are vulnerable. Sara Sharif was a 10-year-old child who had been subjected to years of horrific physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father and stepmother. She died on the …
As described in our article on Attachment Strategies, Dr Patricia Crittenden, an American Psychologist who is best known for her work in the field of attachment theory and lead creator of the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation maintains that All parents harm their children more or less, just as all are more or …
Attachment theory seeks to understand the importance of relationships between humans, in particular the early bonds between a child and their primary caregivers, usually their mum and dad. Then looking at how those bonds influence the child’s future relationships with other adults and their own children. It was first pioneered by John Bowlby a British …
RTL News Welcome to the first monthly newsletter from Right to Love (RTL) RTL raises awareness of child/partner psychological abuse in the context of parental seperation. Our leaflet provides a brief overview of this issue for busy professionals and families. Some refer to “parental alienation” but we have outlined Why Right to Love Doesn’t Use the Term …
Donald Winnicott was a British Paediatrician and Psychoanalyst who focused on the medical care and development of young children. He found that parenting did not need to be perfect to ensure successful child development and championed “the sound instincts of normal parents” against high standards expected of parents by professional experts1 p, 173. In 1953, …
History Child Psychological Abuse Awareness Day is a global awareness day for children who are subjected to psychological abuse. It is held on the 10th October which is also World Mental Health Day. The first Child Psychological Abuse Awareness Day was established on 10th October 2024. The date was chosen by Thrivers Speak, a group …
In Why Right to Love Doesn’t Use the Term “Parental alienation”, it was highlighted that the UK Association of Clinical Psychologists (ACP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) advise that “parental alienation” cannot be diagnosed. They didn’t, however, state what could be diagnosed and this has left traumatised families with a lot of unanswered questions. …
There is a factor in some intact families that causes harm, can lead to family breakdown and post-separation abuse. That factor is the existence of a parent with a severely maladaptive attachment strategy. This includes parents with narcissistic/borderline personality disorder. Only a person who has significant difficulty with information processing, with reduced ability to mentalise …
In 2017 Cafcass and Women’s Aid published findings of their research into “Allegations of domestic abuse in child contact cases“. Cafcass looked at 216 cases from their case records where they had been asked by the court to investigate applications for arrangements orders in relation to spending time with a child. The sample came from …
