There is now scholarly consensus that severe alienation is abusive to children (Fidler and Bala, 2010), and is a largely overlooked form of child abuse (Bernet et al, 2010), as child welfare and divorce practitioners are often unaware of or minimize its extent.

YOUR SIGNATURE SHOWS YOU ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE TEXAS FAMILY CODE:
Sec.153.001.PUBLIC POLICY.
(a) The public policy of this state is to:
(1)Assure that children will have frequent and continuing contact with parents who have shown the ability to act in the best interest of the child;
(2)provide a safe, stable, and nonviolent environment for the child; and
(3)encourage parents to share in the rights and duties of raising their child after the parents have separated or dissolved their marriage.
Sec. 261.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Abuse" includes the following acts or omissions by a person:
(A) mental or emotional injury to a child that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development, or psychological functioning;
(B) causing or permitting the child to be in a situation in which the child sustains a mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development, or psychological functioning;