MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Ashish Joshi

Joshi Attorneys + Counselors
United States

Ashish Joshi is an international attorney, author, and speaker specialising in family violence, parental alienation, and high-conflict litigation. As Managing Partner of Joshi Attorneys + Counselors, he has represented clients across multiple jurisdictions and authored leading professional texts on parental alienation and family violence litigation.

Dr Stanley Korosi

Parents Beyond Breakup,
Australia

Dr Stanley Korosi is Chairperson and Research Lead for Parents Beyond Breakup, a national charity dedicated to suicide prevention and supporting parents to remain connected with their children. A clinical sociologist, researcher and policy consultant, his work focuses on parental alienation, social alienation, suicide prevention and family policy reform. Stan also serves on the Board of the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG), contributing to international research and thought leadership in the field.

Emeritus Professor
Edward Kruk

Emeritus Professor Edward Kruk is an internationally recognised authority on shared parenting, parental alienation and family law, with more than four decades of experience as a social worker, academic and family mediator. He is the author of five books and more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, including the influential The Equal Parent Presumption. Edward is President of the International Council on Shared Parenting and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for his contribution to children and families.

Emeritus Professor
Patrick Parkinson AM

Emeritus Professor Patrick Parkinson AM is one of Australia's foremost family law scholars, with an internationally respected career spanning academia, law reform and public policy. He has authored numerous leading texts on family law, child protection and children's rights, and has played a significant role in shaping Australian family law through government advisory positions. Patrick is also an experienced mediator and arbitrator and currently serves as Executive Director of Publica.

Mark Koolmatrie

Mark Koolmatrie is a proud Ngarrindjeri cultural lawman, educator and founder of the award-winning Kool Tours, sharing the rich stories and living culture of his ancestral lands. Throughout his career he has championed Aboriginal cultural education, heritage preservation and the strengthening of identity through connection to Country. A respected community leader, Mark continues to inspire future generations through his commitment to culture, family and community.

Professor William Bernet

(Virtual Presentation)

Professor William Bernet, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and an internationally recognised expert in child, forensic and general psychiatry. A founding figure in the study of parental alienation, he has authored and edited numerous landmark publications that have shaped both clinical practice and legal understanding worldwide. Professor Bernet is the founder and inaugural President of the Parental Alienation Study Group (PASG) and has provided expert forensic testimony in more than 300 cases across the United States.

Melanie Gill

Attachment and Forensic Assessment Consultancy, United Kingdom

Melanie Gill is an attachment specialist, psychologist and forensic consultant with more than 20 years' experience in trauma, parental alienation and high-conflict family matters. Her work combines attachment science, neuroscience and trauma-informed practice to support courts and professionals in understanding complex family dynamics. Melanie is an internationally recognised educator committed to evidence-based practice and protecting children from psychological harm.

John Gomez

Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion NGO,
United States / Japan

John Gomez is Chairperson of Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion and has been advocating for children and families in Japan since 2013. A Harvard graduate, he has represented civil society at the United Nations and served on the Hague Conference Steering Committee. His work has received international recognition, with media coverage published in nine languages.

Dawn McCarty

Securing Everything,
United States

Dawn McCarty is a criminologist and cybersecurity specialist pioneering new approaches to understanding coercive control and child psychological abuse. She applies forensic threat assessment methodologies across multiple disciplines to strengthen safeguarding practices. Dawn is also an international bestselling author, founder of Thrivers Speak® and co-founder of the Nothing About Us, Without Us (NAUWOU™) conferences.

Dr Demosthenes Lorandos

Attorney, Forensic Psychologist, Editor, Writer
(Virtual Presentation)

Dr Demosthenes Lorandos is an internationally recognised forensic psychologist, attorney and legal scholar with more than 50 years' experience in behavioural science and the law. Editor-in-Chief of the Litigator's Handbook of Forensic Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology, he is a leading authority on forensic litigation, expert evidence and
parental alienation.

David Pisarra

Dad's Law School & Union of Dads,
United States

David Pisarra is a California family law attorney and founder of Dad's Law School and Union of Dads, supporting thousands of self-represented fathers. Drawing on extensive experience in custody disputes and domestic violence matters, he examines the intersection of false abuse allegations and parental alienation. David is a widely recognised educator with a substantial online following.

Alyse Price-Tobler (PhD, MCAP)

NSW, Australia

Dr Alyse Price-Tobler (PhD, MCAP) is an Australian clinical psychotherapist, child psychological abuse researcher, author, and international speaker with more than 35 years of frontline experience across mental health, disability, trauma, and community services. Her work specialises in child psychological abuse related to parental alienation, familial abduction, family estrangement, coercive control, developmental trauma, attachment disruption, identity disturbance, and the long-term experiences of adolescent and adult survivors. She developed the Healing Qualia Treatment Protocol® (HQTP), a phase-based specialist clinical treatment protocol for adolescent and adult survivors, informed by her twin-study PhD research, extensive clinical practice, and lived experience as an adult survivor.

Tony Nikolic

Ashley, Francina, Leonard & Associates,
NSW, Australia

Tony Nikolic is a solicitor, author and advocate specialising in family law, human rights and civil liberties. His work focuses on government accountability, public interest litigation and systemic issues within the justice system. Tony is also a respected media commentator and has studied legal systems internationally.

Dr Amy Baker

Parental Alienation Coach, Researcher, Author
(Virtual Presentation)

Dr. Baker is a nationally recognized expert in parental alienation, and parent-child relationships, especially children of divorce, and emotional abuse of children. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Teachers College of Columbia University. She is the author or co-author of 10 books and over 120 academic articles on topics related to children's well-being.

Jim Smith

McKenzie Friend – Bay of Plenty,
New Zealand

Jim Smith is an enrolled barrister and solicitor who cut his legal teeth as a pro se litigant in family court. From that experience he began his legal career later in life & studying law as a mature student. Applying both law and anthropology to his work, he now supports parents navigating the family court system through coaching, education and advocacy. His practical experience and application as both a self-litigant and legal professional provides a unique perspective on family court processes and how best a parent can navigate the family court process, whether utilising a lawyer or self-representing.

Joan Kloth-Zanard

PAS Intervention and PAAAlliance
United States

Joan Kloth-Zanard is Founder and Executive Director of PAS Intervention and a widely recognised parental alienation educator and advocate. With more than four decades of experience, she provides education, support, training, and consultation for families and professionals while leading several initiatives focused on reunification and recovery.

Dr Lena Hellbolm-sjogren

Avskildabarn
Sweden

Jesper Lohse

World Parents Organisation
Denmark

Jesper Lohse is National Chairman of the Danish Fathers Association and an international advocate for family law reform and human rights. With experience spanning more than 100 countries and cultures, he has contributed to significant policy developments in Denmark and serves in leadership roles across multiple international organisations.

Augusto Zimmerman

Alphacrucis University College

Professor Augusto Zimmerman is a legal scholar, author, and academic leader at Alphacrucis University College. His research and teaching focus on constitutional law, legal philosophy, human rights, and family law. He is a frequent commentator and speaker on legal reform, public policy, and issues affecting families and children.

Jill Howieson

University of Western Australia
WA, Australia

Professor Jill Howieson is a leading Australian academic, mediator, and educator in dispute resolution. As founder and director of the UWA Mediation Clinic, she combines teaching, research, and practice to advance innovative approaches to family conflict, therapeutic mediation, family violence response, and support for vulnerable individuals and families.

Brian Ludmer

Ludmer Law
Canada

Brian Ludmer is a Canadian family lawyer specialising in high-conflict divorce, parental alienation, and complex financial disputes. Drawing on both professional expertise and personal experience, he is frequently engaged as lead counsel in challenging cases and is recognised for his commitment to safeguarding parent-child relationships.

Nicole Winslow

Lived Experience
WA, Australia

Nicole Winslow is a Western Australian aviation professional and mother of three who brings valuable lived experience to discussions on parental alienation. Following her own family's experience navigating the family law system, she has become a passionate advocate for greater understanding of the impacts on parents and children. Nicole shares her story to help inform professionals and promote better outcomes for families.

Dr Ben Hine

University of West London
(Virtual Presentation)

Dr Ben Hine is a psychologist, academic and author specialising in parental alienation, family breakdown and the experiences of men and boys. He leads the Evidence-Based Domestic Abuse Research Network (EBDARN), chairs the British Psychological Society's Male Psychology Section, and is a recognised researcher, advocate and author in family psychology and policy.

Joseph Chappell

Parental Alienation Study Group
United States

Joseph Chappell is a long-standing member of the Parental Alienation Study Group and an advocate for family law reform. He spent nine years documenting a parental alienation case in real time, creating a detailed record that informs his work to improve understanding of the issue through lived experience.

Dr Alan Blotcky

Clinical Associate Professor, UAB
United States

Dr Alan Blotcky is a clinical and forensic psychologist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of two books on parental alienation and false allegations of abuse and has provided expert testimony in numerous family law matters across the United States.

Kate Stewart

True North Social Work
NSW, Australia

Kate Stewart is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker with more than twenty-five years of experience across social work, counselling, policy, leadership, and trauma services. Based in regional New South Wales, she supports individuals and families experiencing complex relational trauma while advancing research into post-separation impacts and recovery.

Bruce Backman

Traumatip Healthcare
SA, Australia

Dr Bruce Backman combines a professional background in surgical science and medical technologies with advocacy informed by lived experience. Originally from Canada and now based in Australia, his work explores parental alienation, child protection, policy reform, and the intersection of developmental psychology and legal systems.

Claire Bunton

QLD, Australia

Claire Bunton is a qualified nurse-midwife and lawyer who brings a unique professional and lived-experience perspective to parental alienation. Having supported her family through reunification after many years of separation, she advocates for improved professional understanding and earlier intervention to protect children and families.

Emanoela Cassins Barry

Self Published Writer
United Kingdom

Emanoela Cassins Barry is an educator, author, and advocate with more than 20 years’ experience in education, including Special Educational Needs. Based in the United Kingdom, she uses children’s literature to raise awareness of parental alienation and encourage child-centred conversations across families, schools, and professional settings.

Anthony Cauchi

Happy Parenting
Malta

Anthony Cauchi is the Founder and Public Relations Officer of Happy Parenting Malta. A frequent international conference speaker and advocate, he has undertaken specialised studies in safeguarding children and young people and has dedicated many years to raising awareness of parental alienation and family wellbeing.

Karen Finnegan

Independent Researcher
WA, Australia

Karen Finnegan is an ACA-accredited counsellor, professional supervisor, and independent researcher based in Western Australia. She is the developer of the CAVNER-GOUGH Framework for Parental Alienation Intervention and brings extensive experience in multidisciplinary service delivery, training, and systems-based approaches to supporting affected families.

Benjamin Fornarino

Accessibled.Ai
VIC, Australia

Benjamin Fornarino is a technology product leader whose work spans health, disability, justice, and regulated sectors. He examines how technology, institutions, and social systems shape outcomes for vulnerable individuals and families, with a particular focus on understanding children’s lived experiences of parental alienation across multiple environments.

Stefan Willi Vogel

Glaciology Tasmania
TAS, Australia

Dr Stefan Willi Vogel is a scientist, consumer advocate, mediator, and community volunteer. Combining expertise in earth sciences, psychology, and family wellbeing, he advocates for family law reform and consumer representation while supporting parents navigating separation, legal systems, and recovery from family conflict.

Hon Sarah Game

Parliament of South Australia
SA, Australia

The Hon. Sarah Game is a Member of the Parliament of South Australia. She has contributed to public discussions on family law, shared parenting, and parental alienation, bringing a policy and legislative perspective to contemporary issues affecting families and children.

Emilia Gardenia

Expert Advisory Panel for International Family Law Reform
Japan

Emilia Gardenia is an International Family Law Research Consultant and Advisory Panel member for International Family Law Reform. Based in Japan, her work examines linguistic erasure, child identity, and developmental rights, with a focus on international advocacy and the protection of children’s cultural and familial connections.

Mary Gauci

Happy Presenting
Malta

Mary Gauci is President of Happy Parenting Malta and a Juvenile Court Expert on Social Care. With senior leadership experience across government, social welfare, broadcasting, and international affairs, she combines professional expertise with postgraduate studies in parental alienation and family wellbeing.

Caroline Giroux

UC Davis
United States

Dr Caroline Giroux is a Professor of Psychiatry at UC Davis and Director of the RESTART resilience program. An internationally recognised expert in trauma-related conditions, she is an educator, researcher, advocate, and author whose work focuses on resilience, trauma-informed care, parental alienation, and recovery after adversity.

Rony Golczewski

Alexion
Switzerland

Rony Golczewski is an Australian pharmaceutical executive based in Switzerland and a Master’s candidate in Parental Alienation Studies. His research explores how legal, clinical, and social systems respond to parental alienation, with a particular focus on institutional decision-making and child developmental outcomes.

Petri Guilland

Fathers for Children
Finland

Petri Guilland is Executive Director of Fathers for Children in Finland and an experienced peer-support leader working with families affected by separation, custody disputes, and parental alienation. Through thousands of client contacts and support interactions, he has developed extensive insight into the personal, social, and health impacts experienced by affected parents.

Michelle Hunt

Blue Wren Therapy
QLD, Australia

Michelle Hunt is founder of Blue Wren Therapy and creator of the Unstuck Method. Since entering private practice, she has supported individuals and couples through significant life transitions. Her work combines clinical experience, professional development, and lived insight to help clients create meaningful and sustainable personal change.

Marijka Johnson

WA, Australia

Marijka Johnson is an independent researcher based in Western Australia whose work explores parental alienation, child development, family law, and coercive control. Combining research collaboration with lived experience, she focuses on understanding how institutional responses influence children’s development and long-term relationships following family separation.

Ashok Kadam

University of Canberra
QLD, Australia

Ashok Kadam is a telecommunications engineer and safety professional who advocates for child-centred parenting and early accountability within family law processes. Drawing on lived experience and ongoing professional development, he promotes evidence-based approaches that prioritise children’s wellbeing while supporting constructive engagement and responsible co-parenting practices.

Sandra Lowe

The Empowerment Community
United States

Sandra S. Lowe is Executive Director and Treasurer of The Empowerment Community and creator of the Parental Alienation Informed Disclosure (PAID) framework. Combining professional expertise in regulatory compliance with lived experience and trauma-informed practice, she advocates for greater awareness, prevention, and policy development surrounding parental alienation.

Jeannie Magri

Parenting Together Apart for Parents Not Together and Child Search
VIC, Australia

Jeannie Magri is founder and director of Parenting Together Apart and Child Search. With more than two decades of experience supporting separated families, she specialises in trauma-informed family support, reunification, child recovery services, and conflict resolution, helping families navigate complex situations while maintaining a strong child-focused approach.

Adam Morrison

Independent
WA, Australia

Adam Morrison is an energy industry professional, yoga instructor, and community facilitator from Western Australia. Drawing on lived experience as a single father, he contributes practical insight into parenting, family separation, wellbeing, and resilience while supporting conversations that promote stronger outcomes for children and families.

Tess Hackett

Independent
WA, Australia

Tess Hackett is the founder of Australia’s first parent support network for families navigating youth gender dysphoria. Drawing on more than a decade of lived experience, she has supported hundreds of families in Australia and internationally while advocating for greater awareness of parental alienation, family wellbeing, and parental engagement.

Annemie Hamilton

Aid Resolutions
QLD, Australia

Annemie Hamilton is an experienced mediator, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, child consultant, and Director of AID Resolutions. She has facilitated hundreds of parenting and financial mediations and brings expertise across family dispute resolution, counselling, child protection, and early childhood education, with a strong commitment to child-focused and trauma-informed practice.

Janette Hermann

Trauma Practice and Child-Wellbeing Centre
South Africa

Janette Hermann is a registered social worker and family professional based in South Africa. Specialising in forensic child abuse assessments and Voice of the Child investigations, she is completing doctoral research focused on false sexual abuse allegations in custody disputes and advocates strongly for child-centred legal decision-making.

David Murphy

Education Department Victoria
VIC, Australia

David Murphy combines lived experience of parental alienation with professional experience in educational leadership and postgraduate study in mental health and neuroscience. His work examines the intersection of ethics, family law, and public policy, with a particular focus on promoting children’s long-term wellbeing and relational development.

Meagan O

Lived Experience
WA, Australia

Meagan O is a psychology student, advocate, and former alienated child from Western Australia. Through public education and advocacy initiatives, she shares her family’s experiences of parental alienation, reunification, and healing to increase awareness and promote improved outcomes for children and families affected by separation conflict.

Matt Peloquin

Trauma Practice and Child-Wellbeing Centre
Chile

Dr Matt Peloquin is a psychologist, researcher, and founder of Fathers Guidance. His work focuses on men’s mental health, paternal identity, and the psychological effects of prolonged parent-child separation. He develops evidence-based frameworks and therapeutic approaches that support resilience, identity preservation, and healthier outcomes for separated fathers.

Mark Roseman

The Toby Center for Family Transitions
United States

Dr Mark Roseman is an international speaker, child custody expert, and founder of The Toby Center for Family Transitions. Specialising in high-conflict family matters, he has dedicated decades to supporting family reunification, mediation, supervised visitation, and education initiatives that strengthen parent-child relationships following separation.

Susan Shofer

Susan Shofer and Associates, Inc.
United States

Susan Shofer is a high-conflict divorce consultant, investigator, educator, and TEDx speaker. Her professional background spans finance, investigations, and family conflict resolution. An active PASG member, she works to increase awareness of parental alienation while helping individuals and professionals better understand and respond to complex family dynamics.

Beth Slate

Insight Divorce Solutions
United States

Beth Slate is a Certified Divorce Coach, Certified Mediator, and founder of Insight Divorce Solutions. A former Guardian Ad Litem and domestic violence advocate, she combines professional expertise and lived experience to support early intervention strategies and help families navigate high-conflict separation more effectively.