An Open Letter to Family Court Judges and Guardians ad Litem: Addressing Parental Alienation and the Weaponization of Therapy

Dear Judges and Guardians ad Litem,

You hold an extraordinary power. The power to shape the lives of children, to decide the course of families, to safeguard what little innocence remains amidst the wreckage of a broken home. It is a burden not lightly borne. But today, I must implore you: take a moment to look deeper. Look past the polished arguments, the curated evidence, and the desperate accusations. Look into the silent cries of children caught in the crossfire of parental alienation.

I write to you not as a stranger to this pain, but as someone who has lived it. I have seen how alienation poisons a child’s soul, how it twists their sense of truth and replaces it with confusion and fear. I have watched as memories were stripped away, as moments of love and laughter were rewritten or erased, all in the name of vengeance masquerading as protection. And I have felt the unbearable weight of powerlessness, knowing that the system meant to protect was being manipulated as a weapon against me—and, more importantly, against my children.

The Weaponization of Therapy: A Cruel Manipulation

In the name of “help,” alienating parents can turn therapy into a battlefield. They shop for therapists willing to validate their story, then wield those sessions like a sword, slicing away the targeted parent’s role in the child’s life. They coach children to repeat rehearsed narratives, turning innocent words into daggers. They craft diagnoses out of thin air, laying blame where none belongs. And they do it all while hiding behind a veil of concern and righteousness.

What you might see as a child expressing discomfort or fear could be the result of relentless coaching. What you may perceive as a therapist’s impartial recommendation could be the product of one-sided manipulation. What you might believe is the voice of the child may, in fact, be the echo of an alienating parent’s script.

The Children’s Burden

Imagine, if you will, the mind of a child in this situation. They love both parents. They cling to the memories of bedtime stories, shared adventures, and quiet moments of safety. But one parent whispers doubt into their ear. “Your other parent doesn’t love you like I do.” “Do you remember how scared you were with them?” “That wasn’t them in that memory—it was me.”

At first, the child resists. Their heart pulls toward the truth. But slowly, the weight of repetition bears down. The constant interruptions during parenting time—the phone calls, the questions, the sly remarks—begin to chip away at their reality. Until one day, they can no longer tell which memories are theirs and which have been rewritten. And then comes the silence: the rejection, the cold stares, the refusal to visit.

Can you imagine the confusion in their hearts? The quiet agony of questioning their own mind? The loss of a bond they don’t even understand they are losing? This is what alienation does to a child.

A Plea for Understanding

I know the cases you see are complicated. I know you are asked to sift through the broken pieces of families and make decisions with only fragments of truth. But I beg you—do not let the louder voice or the more polished presentation blind you to the quieter suffering.

When you see a child rejecting one parent without clear cause, ask yourself: is this their voice or someone else’s? When you see a therapist’s report, ask: who set the stage for this story? When you hear an alienating parent insisting they are the child’s sole protector, remember that true protection fosters relationships, not destroys them.

You hold the power to change the trajectory of these children’s lives. To give them the chance to hold on to both of their parents. To save them from the scars of alienation. But only if you choose to see it for what it is: not a dispute between adults, but an attack on the very foundation of a child’s identity.

For the Sake of the Children

This is not about me. This is not about any one parent. It is about the children—their futures, their hearts, their ability to trust and love and grow into whole, healthy individuals. They are looking to you, even if they don’t know it, to see beyond the noise and find the truth.

I beg you, from the depths of my soul, to take this issue seriously. To educate yourselves on parental alienation. To question the narratives presented to you. To see the manipulation for what it is. And to act not for the parents, but for the children who are silently pleading for someone to protect their innocence.

These children need you. They need your wisdom, your discernment, and your courage to stand against those who would use the court and the therapeutic process as weapons of control. Please, for their sake, do not let them down.

With all the hope I have left,

Randy Morano