Nicholas Bala – författare

Interest in the problem of children who resist contact with or become alienated from a parent after separation or divorce is growing, due in part to parents' increasing frustrations with the apparent ineffectiveness of the legal system in handling these unique cases. There is a need for legal and mental health professionals to improve their understanding of, and response to, this polarizing social dynamic. Children Who Resist Post-Separation Parental Contact is a critical, empirically based review of parental alienation that integrates the best research evidence with clinical insight from interviews with leading scholars and practitioners. The authors - Fidler, Bala, and Saini - a psychologist, a lawyer and a social worker, are an multidisciplinary team who draw upon the growing body of mental health and legal literature to summarize the historical development and controversies surrounding the concept of "alienation " and explain the causes, dynamics, and differentiation of various types of parent-child relationship issues. The authors review research on prevalence, risk factors, indicators, assessment, and measurement to form a conceptual integration of multiple factors relevant to the etiology and maintenance of the problem of strained parent-child relationships. A differential approach to assessment and intervention is provided. Children's rights, the role of their wishes and preferences in legal proceedings, and the short- and long-term impact of parental alienation are also discussed. Considering legal, clinical, prevention, and intervention strategies, and concluding with recommendations for practice, research, and policy, this book is a much-needed resource for mental health professionals, judges, family lawyers, child protection workers, mediators, and others who work with families dealing with divorce, separation, and child custody issues.

Understanding Family Violence in Family Court Proceedings addresses the growing recognition in Canadian legislation and case law of the need to more effectively address intimate partner violence in family court, with a focus on protecting the safety, well-being, and economic interests of victims and their children post-separation, while also including essential material for professionals working with those who commit family violence.Written by a team of interdisciplinary experts, the book explores various forms of abuse and coercive control, ongoing harassment and emotional abuse after separation, the use of litigation as a tool of abuse, and family violence issues related to parenting and economic matters in post-separation family court cases. Contributors include leading practitioners, scholars in family law and domestic violence, and retired judges, with a foreword by former Chief Justice of Canada, Beverly McLachlin. Offering invaluable insights and practical guidance, Understanding Family Violence in Family Court Proceedings is essential reading for experienced family lawyers, judges, and other professionals, while also providing foundational knowledge for students entering the family justice field or working with survivors of family violence. The book also offers critical perspectives that will make it a valuable addition to gender or feminist studies courses.