Alienated: When Parents Won't Parent

This gripping read will floor readers with a child’s view of the hurt parental alienation can cause even into adulthood. But it is Lisa’s story of transformation and healing that will give the reader’s hope. Parental Alienation will break your heart, but the truth will set you free.
—Ginger Gentile, director of the Erasing Family Documentary

Lisa Goodpaster’s book Alienated When Parents Won’t Parent gives the play by play of her alienator’s game exposing the secretive strategies she used and gives us a personal glimpse of the effects this type of child abuse has on the innocent bystander child who is used as a pawn to harm the other parent. This book is groundbreaking work from a true trailblazer in the field of conquering parental alienation.
—Jennifer Szeghi, The Alienator’s Chess Game Podcast Host, Reunification Specialist, Parenting Coordinator, Co-parenting Coach & Owner of Successful Parenting, LLC

My parents’ divorce and the consequences of not protecting me left me sad, lonely, disappointed and unimportant—like a sacrificial lamb. I rebelled and had to learn to defend and protect myself. I acted it out by getting angry, and I did and said whatever I needed to say and do to keep myself safe. I ignored my needs and protected everyone, and I expected everyone else to handle my emotions.

I had over four hundred survival patterns, which turned into long-term survival patterns. When we are operating in a pattern state, we are not living our authentic selves; rather, we are reactive, suppressing, numbing ourselves, and overthinking. This was for me how I imagine it’s like for most alienated kids.

I was angry and unprotected, and my parents’ inability to co-parent and their lack of awareness became the danger that allowed my stepmom to write and do what she did.