Journey of the Alienated Child

Healing the Hidden Trauma of Divorce and Separation

AvKaren Woodall

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

2 218 kr

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When a child rejects a parent after family separation, the experience can feel sudden, bewildering and absolute. This book offers a compassionate yet clinically grounded guide to understanding what is happening beneath the surface, reframing rejection not as choice, but as a meaningful psychological response by children to relational stress.Drawing on attachment theory, neuroscience and relational psychoanalysis, this book explores the internal world of children who become aligned with one parent and reject the other. It sets out a staged model of the child’s psychological journey, from early relational strain through splitting and disappearance into emergence and integration. Alongside this, chapters introduce the Lighthouse Keeping approach to therapeutic parenting, offering parents and practitioners structured ways of responding to rejection, rebuilding a sense of relational safety without escalating conflict. The book examines the relational dynamics within the wider family system, including the role of projection, trauma transmission and loyalty conflicts, and provides practical frameworks, diagrams and guidance for intervention in complex cases across clinical, legal and social care contexts.Moving beyond polarised debates, this essential book offers a framework, drawing from developmental, relational and neuropsychological perspectives, that restores focus on the child’s internal experience and the conditions required for reintegration. This is an essential read for parents experiencing rejection, and the mental health practitioners who support them.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-12-09
Mått:156 x 234 x undefined mm
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:196
Förlag:Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN:9781041338079

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Karen Woodall is a psychotherapist and co-founder of the Family Separation Clinic, where she specialises in working with children and families affected by relational trauma and family separation. Her work focuses on understanding the psychological and neurological impact of coerced alignment in children and supporting parents to respond therapeutically. Integrating attachment theory, neuroscience and relational psychoanalysis, she has developed the Lighthouse Keeping model of therapeutic parenting from her clinical work with families over almost twenty years. Karen trains practitioners internationally and provides expert consultation in complex family cases.

Innehållsförteckning

DedicationPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1 How to use this bookTaking your timeTherapist NotesChapter2 When Your Child Rejects YouPutting your oxygen mask on firstTherapist NoteChapter 3 Childhood Relational TraumaThe Dynamics of Childhood Relational Trauma in Divorce and SeparationThe Projective PantomimeMoving Beyond Heroes and VillainsTherapist NotesChapter 4 Lighthouse KeepingBuilding foundations for helping and healingUnderstandingFoundational Healing StepsStabilising and AnchoringContaining and ConnectingSignalling and GuidingHealing - The Journey Back to WholenessTherapist NoteChapter 5 The Journey of the Alienated ChildTherapist NoteChapter 6 The Right Action at the Right TimeThe Right Action at the Right TimeRight Action at the Right Time - Trouble Shooting SkillsTherapist NotesContentsChapter 7 Stage 1 Onset: Disorganised AttachmentWhat is disorganised attachment in this context?What is happening to the child in stage one?Projective entanglementsBehaviours seen in stage oneIf my child is being harmed, shouldn't I try to stop it?Mentalising in stage oneOperationalising stage oneAvoid placatingRoutine, boundaries and protectionCreate a protection planHolding space in stage oneTherapist NoteChapter 8 Stage 2: Disappearance into SplittingWhen Children DisappearA Case StudyTherapist NotesChapter 9 Stage 3: Emergence with Disturbance in Self OrganisationThe Landscape of EmergenceWhat is Happening to the Child in Stage ThreeEmergence PredictionsMentalisingAmbivalence and Shifting EmotionsOperationalisingIntegration Follows EmergenceA Case StudyTherapist NoteChapter 10 Stage 4: IntegrationWhat is Happening to the Child in Stage 4Behaviours in Stage 4Notice Your Child's BehaviourHolding Space: The Language of PartsMoving Toward Integration: An Interpersonal Neurobiological ViewThe Work in PracticeHolding the Mirror Until the Self ReturnsTherapist NotesChapter 11 Helping Your Child to Find Their Way HomeTherapist NotesNotesIndex