Latest / Breaking Cycles with Maria
EP 22: Pulled Apart: How Parental Alienation Breaks Families
Parental alienation is one of the most misunderstood and emotionally charged dynamics in family systems—and when it’s oversimplified, it can cause real harm.
In this episode of Breaking Up With Toxicity, Maria Shkreli, LMHC, breaks down what parental alienation actually is, how it develops, why it happens, and what it looks like in real families—without blame, labels, or sound-bite psychology.
This conversation explores:
What parental alienation is—and what it is not
How children become caught in adult pain and loyalty conflicts
The emotional and psychological patterns that drive alienation…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.