Bill Eddy, LCSW, ESQ

Seven Ways Children’s Brains Absorb Parents’ Emotions (And How to Protect Them)

On Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 8 PM EDT, Family Access-Fighting for Children’s Rights presents Bill Eddy on the topic “Seven Ways Children’s Brains Absorb Parents’ Emotions (And How to Protect Them”. This will air exclusively on our Families Divided TV you tube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@FamiliesDividedTV

This program will address some of the automatic ways that children’s brains can absorb a parent’s negative emotions in separation and divorce, which can lead to alienation of the child from the other parent. Unlike adults, children do not yet have the ability to consciously separate their emotions from their parents’ emotions. When parents and others repeatedly expose the children to high conflict emotions and badmouthing statements, or deny the existence of a parent or grandparent, the damage can be long-lasting. How to protect children from their parents’ upset emotions will be discussed, including suggestions for therapists, lawyers and judges.   

Bill Eddy is co-founder and chief innovation officer of High Conflict Institute. He pioneered the High Conflict Personality Theory (HCP) and is the world’s leading expert on methods for managing disputes involving people with high conflict personalities.

Bill has worked as the senior family mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center, a certified family law specialist representing clients in family court, and a licensed clinical social worker therapist. In 2021, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Academy of Professional Mediators.

He serves on the faculty of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law in California and is a conjoint associate professor with the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia. He has delivered talks and trainings in more than 30 U.S. states and thirteen countries and is the author or co-author of 20 books. His popular blog on the Psychology Today website has more than 5 million views. He trains lawyers, judges, and mediators, and regularly consults on issues of alienation, family violence, and false allegations in family court cases.