Cases where children resist or refuse contact with a parent are some of the most challenging cases the courts face. Some of these cases include allegations of abuse that are unsupported, yet the allegations remain alive and the subject of the court hearings, even though a thorough investigation has proven the allegations to be unfounded. In this Institute we will explore the psychological processes that underlie this delusional belief system. We will describe what these cases look like, differentiate an encapsulated delusional system from both a delusional disorder and a paranoid personality disorder. We will describe a screening process and differentiate those cases that are likely to respond to treatment from those that are not. We will propose therapeutic interventions and a system of accountability with concrete goals for the family and for judges to consider in their orders.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Define what an encapsulated disorder is and is not.
- Differentiate an encapsulated delusion from both a delusional disorder and a paranoid personality disorder.
- Identify psychological processes involved in these disorders
- Differentiate encapsulated disorders that are more likely to be treatable from those that are not.
- Describe treatment interventions and ways to measure success in treatment