Dr. Warshak Media Kit

Bio
Topics Addressed
Organizations Addressed
Past Media Coverage
Headshot

Dr. Richard Warshak’s groundbreaking research, trenchant challenges to gender stereotypes, and passionate advocacy for children have made him one the world’s most respected authorities on divorce, child custody, and the psychology of alienated children. As a White House consultant, and through his writing, speeches, legislative and courtroom testimony, videos, and workshops, Dr. Warshak has had a profound impact on the law and well-being of families where parents live apart from each other.

Since 1977 Dr. Warshak has examined assumptions and practices in family law in the light of logic and scientific data. His studies on father and mother custody, remarriage, relocation, parenting plans for young children, the approximation rule, children’s preferences in custody disputes, and parental alienation appear in 13 books, more than 65 articles, and more than 100 presentations, and are cited often in the professional literature and in case law and legislatures throughout the world. His most recent publications analyzed the science behind parenting plans for young children, fathers’ overnights with infants and toddlers, joint physical custody, and the best-interest standard. Dr. Warshak has delivered keynote speeches throughout the U.S., Canada, and abroad.

A graduate of Cornell University, Dr. Warshak is a clinical, research, and consulting psychologist, past Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of the Editorial Boards of professional journals.

Dr. Warshak was a White House consultant on child custody and one of 60 top experts invited to participate in an American Bar Association family law reform initiative. His amicus brief on relocation, endorsed by the leading authorities on divorce, was accepted by the Supreme Court of the State of California. In 2017 the Supreme Court of New Jersey cited Dr. Warshak's research in a landmark opinion.

Dr. Warshak’s book, The Custody Revolution (Simon & Schuster, 1992), advocated mediation of custody disputes and greater father involvement, two reforms that have since become mainstream in U. S. law and practice. His second book, Divorce Poison: How To Protect Your Family From Bad-Mouthing And Brainwashing (HarperCollins, 2002/2010), now in its 25th printing, is translated in six languages and is the world’s best-selling resource on parental alienation.

Dr. Warshak appears in the PBS documentary Kids And Divorce, and is co-author of a DVD for children and parents titled, Welcome Back Pluto: Understanding, Preventing, And Overcoming Parental Alienation.

As an international media guest commentator Dr. Warshak has contributed to segments on more than 75 topics including celebrity divorces, custody disputes, parental alienation, child abuse, stepfamilies, child psychology and parenting, and helping children cope with fears and trauma. He has been interviewed by National Public Radio and the major television networks in the U.S., Canada, England, and Germany, including ABC 20/20, NBC Today, NBC Dateline, CBS, CNN, BBC, CTV, Fox, Geraldo, and CourtTV. His work has been featured in international print media in the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Columbia, and New Zealand, including the New York Times (Sunday front page story), Washington Post (cover story), USA Today (cover story), London Sunday Telegraph, Il Giornale (Italy), Toronto Star, Globe and Mail (editorial, front page, & Life section), Macleans (Canada), and Time magazine (1980, 2004, and 2011).

Dr. Warshak lives and works with his wife in Dallas, Texas. He is available for broadcast and print media interviews.

Contact him at:
media@warshak.com

Divorce Poison/Parental Alienation/Parental Alienation Syndrome

allegations of alienation in celebrity custody disputes
child abductions
understanding alienated children
understanding parental alienation processes
preventing alienation and estrangement
overcoming alienation and estrangement
reuniting parents with their estranged adult children
therapeutic management of parental alienation in families
judicial management of parental alienation in families
Family Bridges: A Workshop for Troubled and Alienated Parent-Child Relationships™
controversies regarding parental alienation syndrome

Child Custody, Divorce, and Stepfamilies – General

celebrity divorces and custody disputes
psychological trauma to children of extensive media attention
how to talk to your children about the other parent
the Warshak Test for distinguishing between helpful and harmful criticism of a parent
impact of divorce on children and adolescents
child development in stepfamilies
father custody
mother custody
joint custody
mothers without custody
coping with the stress of single parenting
relocation cases
when children ask to move from mom’s house to dad’s
parenting plans for infants and young children
child custody evaluation procedures
benefits and hazards of involving children in custody decisions
evaluating child custody evaluators
ethical issues in child custody evaluations
writing effective custody evaluation reports
child custody consultations
bias in child custody evaluations and consultations
pediatric consultations with divorcing families
divorce mediation
collaborative divorce
child support compliance
the American Law Institute’s approximation rule proposal
holidays in divorced families
how to tell your children about your divorce
should children decide custody?
preparing children for summer contacts with the other parent
tips for stepparents
tips for remarried parents

Child Psychology and Parenting

self-esteem in children and adolescents
depression in children
anxiety in children
shy children
children who lie
bipolar disorder in children
sibling rivalry
managing your child’s difficult behavior
teen dating tips for parentssuggestibility in children
childhood sexual behavior
child sex abuse
coping with sexual abuse of children
evaluating sex abuse allegations
myths in abuse and neglect cases
empty nest syndrome
school anxiety
preparing your child for back-to-school and first-day fears
teacher-student conflicts
children who overeat
talking to children about trauma, e.g., the Columbia Shuttle tragedy, 9/11
talking to your children about sex
dealing with children’s misbehavior in public
helping children cope with trauma
helping children cope with anxiety about war and terrorism
how to tell when things are going well...and what to do when they’re not
when to consult a child psychologist

General Psychology and Mental Health

adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
emotional affairs
keeping New Year’s resolutions
reducing holiday stress
coping with job loss
managing war-related anxiety
coping with general anxiety
post-traumatic stress disorder
memory and recall

Government Organizations

The White House
U.S. Commission on Child And Family Welfare
Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division (Chicago)
State of Connecticut House of Representatives
State of Missouri Legislature
Texas State Legislature
305th District Court of Dallas County, Texas

Social Science and Medical Professionals

American Psychological Association
Society for Research in Child Development
American Association for the Advancement of Science
World Association for Infant Mental Health
American Association of Psychiatric Services to Children
Association for the Care of Children in Hospitals
American Orthopsychiatric Association
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Department of Psychiatry
Grand Rounds
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Department of Pediatrics
Grand Rounds
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Continuing Education
Conference
Timberlawn Research Foundation
Florida Psychological Association
Tallahassee Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Dallas Psychological Association
Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Social Work
Dallas Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology
Dallas Psychoanalytic Institute
Dallas Group of Women Psychiatrists
Dallas Child Guidance Clinic
Presbyterian Hospital Psychiatry Grand Rounds
Green Oaks Psychiatric Hospital
Brookhaven Psychiatric Pavilion
Pediatric Associates of Dallas
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Doctoral Clinical Psychology Program
Psychologists' Association of Alberta, Canada

Legal Professionals

American Bar Association
National Judicial Institute (organization of Canadian Judges)
State Bar of Texas Advanced Family Law Seminar
State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program
Ontario Bar Association
Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
Louisiana State Bar Association
Louisiana State Bar Family Law Section
Dallas County Bar Association
Denton County Bar Association
San Antonio Bar Association
Tallahassee Bar Association
Annette Stewart Inns of Court
Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas
Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
Dallas Bar Association Family Law Bench Bar
University of Texas School of Law

Interdisciplinary Groups

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (National Conferences)
International Conference on Parental Alienation Syndrome (Frankfurt,
Germany)
High Conflict Forum of Toronto
Wisconsin Inter-Professional Committee on Divorce
Boulder Interdisciplinary Committee
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Arizona Chapter
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts California Chapter
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Texas Chapter
Dallas Forensic Group
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Massachusetts Chapter

Educational, Community, and Advocacy Organizations

The Family Place (domestic violence shelter)
Jewish Family Service
Texas Association of Student Special Services Programs
Children’s Rights Council
Federation of North Texas Area Universities
The Atlas Society
Family Outreach of Comal County
Jewish Family and Child Service of Toronto
Junior League of Texas
University Park Parent-Teacher Association
Solomon Schechter Parent’s Association
Greenhill School
Parental Alienation Awareness Organization of Alberta (Canada)
Moorestown, New Jersey Library
Parental Alienation Awareness Organization (Southlake, Texas)

BROADCAST MEDIA

Television

Dr. Warshak has been interviewed for the following programs:

PBS documentary – Kids & Divorce: For Better or Worse
ABC 20/20 – interviewed by Chris Cuomo
NBC Dateline
NBC Today – interviewed by Jane Pauley
NBC Weekend Today
CBS Early Show
CBS Saturday Early Show
CNN Paula Zahn Now
CNN Sonya Live
CTV (Canada Television) The Verdict with Paula Todd
Fox & Friends
ABC Home Show
CourtTV
BBC Panorama
Geraldo
Fox Good Day Dallas – regular guest, frequent appearances
2002-2005
ABC Good Morning Texas

Radio

National Public Radio – Marketplace
NBC Radio
Numerous radio stations throughout the U. S. and Canada

PRINT MEDIA

Dr. Warshak has been quoted, or written about, in the following publications:

Magazines

Time – 1980, 2004, 2011
Parade — Sunday newspaper supplement magazine
Maclean’s – leading news magazine in Canada
Semana – leading news magazine in Columbia, South America
Redbook
Parents
Working Mother
Parenting
Child
Men’s Health – 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000
Psychology Today – 1980, 1985, 2007, 2008
Best Life
American Psychological Association Monitor
Omni
M
Science News
Dallas Child

Newspapers

Sunday New York Times — page 1 story
USA Today — 1987, 1992 — cover story
Washington Post — page 1 story
Los Angeles Times
Toronto Star
Globe and Mail – Canada’s national newspaper — page 1 story
Law Times – Canada’s law newspaper
NY Daily News
Dr. Joyce Brothers syndicated column
Chicago Tribune
Scotland on Sunday — Article on the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana
London Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Star Times (New Zealand)
Christian Science Monitor
San Diego Union Tribune
Boston Sunday Globe
Boston Herald
Austin American-Statesman
Houston Post
Dallas Morning News — 1982, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2003 — page 1 story, 2004
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Detroit Free Press
Asbury Park Press
Plano Star Courier — 1981, 1982, 1987, 2001— two page 1 stories, 2007
Parent to Parent – syndicated column in 2002, 2003, and 2004
Richardson Daily News

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