Richard A. Gardner

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Richard Gardner, M.D. (April 28, 1931 - May 25, 2003) was a volunteer clinical professor of psychiatry in the Division of Child Psychiatry at Columbia University from 1963 until his death in 2003. He is known for coining the term Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) in 1985. He has published more than 40 books and more than 250 articles in a variety of areas of child psychiatry. He also operated a company, Creative Therapeutics, Inc., that marketed materials based on his theories. Gardner has testified as an expert witness in hundreds of custody cases in the USA.

Gardner has been a consistent advocate for fathers in custody battles, particularly fathers accused of child abuse. He has made a number of controversial claims regarding pedophilia, including the theory that pedophiles are much more punitively punished than necessary,^{[citation needed]} and that judges who rule against an accused pedophiliac father are likely closet pedophiles.^{[citation needed]}

Although the Parental Alienation Syndrome has been accepted by many courts in the U.S. and Europe, his framing of well-documented parental alienation processes as a "syndrome" remains controversial.

1 Career
2 Criticism
3 Death
4 Selected Books
5 External links

[edit] Career

Gardner wrote the first self-help book for children of divorce; it was reviewed by Time, excerpted in the Sunday New York Times magazine, and is currently in its 28th printing. He devised a therapeutic technique, Mutual Story-Telling, that is included in child psychiatry curricula and listed as one of 35 significant events in the history of play therapy.^{[citation needed]} In addition, he originated a new therapeutic modality with his introduction of the first therapeutic board game for use in psychotherapy with children. The use of such games has since become standard in child psychotherapy with many games following Gardner’s lead. One noted expert in psychotherapy called Gardner's creation "one of the most popular therapeutic games available" and a Website for therapeutic resources claimed that "most child therapists consider it an indispensable part of their playroom equipment."^{[citation needed]} Gardner’s books and therapeutic games have been translated into nine languages. The American Psychological Association, in addition to citing three of Gardner's books in a list of references pertinent to child custody evaluations, honored him by selecting him as one among a few professionals included in a series of training videotapes by "distinguished psychotherapists." Gardner was invited to contribute several chapters to the standard reference work in his field, the Basic Handbook of Child Psychiatry, whose Board of Editors includes many of the world's leading experts in child psychiatry.

[edit] Criticism

Gardner's main contribution was to draw attention to parental alienation processes, that is, how one parent may misuse the powers of socialization to turn a child against a once loved parent. Gardner's labelling of well documented alienation processes as a "syndrome" remains controversial among psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists.^{[citation needed]}

The issues he raised, by their nature, stirred considerable controversy. Because of this, he felt compelled to publish a rebuttal before he died. Noteworthy scholars such as Bruce Sales have cast serious doubt upon the workings of the family courts in the United States and elsewhere. Furthermore, scandals in New York City and San Diego have blown open a small window into the world of custody evaluation and revealed what may be a massive corruption scam.

He was never "pro-paedophile" but dared to raise the question that "pedophilia" may be mis-applied when convenient, and that more strigent use of diagnostic criteria were essential.

This is a link to his own rebuttal from 1999:

http://www.fact.on.ca/Info/pas/misperce.htm

Shrinkie89 19:52, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Gardner's desire to have PAS included in the DSM was not realized in his lifetime.

[edit] Death

Dr. Gardner took his own life on May 25th 2003. Since Dr. Richard Gardner did not leave an explanation or suicide note no one can be sure of why he took his own life. The cause of death according to the bergen county medical office was "Incised wounds to chest and neck." The simple facts are that he ingested high levels of prescription pain killers and stabbed himself in the neck and chest(heart) until he died. His obituary in the New York times: New York Times June 9, 2003, Monday METROPOLITAN DESK Richard Gardner, 72, Dies; Cast Doubt on Abuse Claims By STUART LAVIETES "Dr. Richard A. Gardner, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed a theory about parental alienation syndrome, which he said could lead children in high-conflict custody cases to falsely accuse a parent of abuse, died on May 25 at his home in Tenafly, N.J. He was 72. The cause was suicide, said Dr. Gardner's son, Andrew, who said his father had been distraught over the advancing symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a painful neurological syndrome. Dr. Gardner, who testified in more than 400 child custody cases, maintained that children who suffered from parental alienation syndrome had been indoctrinated by a vindictive parent and obsessively denigrated the other parent without cause. In severe cases, he recommended that courts remove children from the homes of the alienating parents and place them in the custody of the parents accused of abuse. His theory has provoked vehement opposition from some mental health professionals, child abuse experts and lawyers. Critics argue that it lacks a scientific basis, noting that the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association have not recognized it as a syndrome. They also say that the theory is biased against women, as allegations of abuse are usually directed at fathers, and that it is used as a weapon by lawyers seeking to undermine a mother's credibility in court." ... ... "His marriage to Lee Gardner ended in divorce. In addition to his son, of Cherry Hill, N.J., he is survived by two daughters, Nancy Gardner Rubin of Potomac, Md., and Julie Gardner Mandelcorn, of Newton, Mass.; his mother, Amelia Gardner of Manhattan; eight grandchildren; and his partner, Natalie Weiss. Correction: June 14, 2003, Saturday An obituary on Monday about Dr. Richard A. Gardner, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, misstated his position at Columbia University. He was a clinical professor of psychiatry in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry -- an unpaid volunteer -- not a professor of child psychiatry."

[edit] Selected Books

Doctor Gardner's Modern Fairy Tales (1977) ISBN 0-933812-09-4
Protocols for the Sex-Abuse Evaluation (1995) ISBN 0-933812-38-8
Psychotherapy With Sex-Abuse Victims: True, False, and Hysterical (1996) ISBN 0-933812-41-8
Sex-Abuse Trauma?: Or Trauma from Other Sources? (2001) ISBN 0-933812-47-7
The boys and girls book about divorce, with an introduction for parents, by Richard A. Gardner. Foreword by Louise Bates Ames. Illustrated by Alfred Lowenheim (1970), Science House, ISBN 0-553-27619-0