In the first edition of Children Held Hostage, Stanley Clawar and Brynne Rivlin used their groundbreaking study of 700 families to demonstrate that children could and were being used by parents in the divorce battle. Their research showed how negative actions by parents toward their children would show up in court proceedings where children testify or are questioned by mental health professionals.

Now completely updated and greatly expanded, the research underpinning the material in this book now focuses on research involving over 1,000 families. The major issue in confronting this problem of programmed and brainwashed children has been identification of a child alienated by one parent against the other; proving it in court; and then finding a solution that not only works, but that a court will buy into. The updated edition of Children Held Hostage explains these issues in detail, with practice-focused explanations on every step in the process. Among the many new information and findings presented in this edition, the authors offer further insights into gender issues and differences. Additional new material in this edition includes:

• A social-psychological profile of programmers and brainwashers
• Identification of the most commonly asked questions by judges, target parents, lawyers and children
• An expanded social explanation to the causes, impact, and interventions
• Development of an abductor profile
• Charts to visualize key findings and processes
• And much more