Ben and Heather welcome special guest forensic psychologist Dr Robert Simon from San Diego California to talk about resist/refuse behaviour in children, including the heated subject of parental alienation. Dr Simon is a specialist in child custody matters in the United States and is renowned for his expertise in parent/child contact problems. He provides an excellent overview of the most common reasons for resist/refuse behaviour, and makes it clear that parental alienation is not the most common cause.

Topics discussed include:

1. The difference between a clinical and forensic psychologist.
2. The three main reasons for parent/child contact problems:
3. The impact of wrongfully identifying the nature of parent/child contact problems.
4. The Australian Family Law Court's approach to parent/child contact problems.

Episode note (important): This episode was recorded before changes to Australia’s family law parenting provisions commenced on 6 May 2024. The way the Court approaches “best interests of the child” and related parenting concepts has been updated since this recording, so some legal references in this episode may now be out of date. Please seek current legal advice and refer to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Attorney-General’s Department resources for the latest information.