Judge: Kids, dad must undergo therapy to reconcile

A judge this afternoon ordered three Bloomfield Hills siblings — caught up in a years-long custody battle — to attend a five-day intensive therapy program, to be held at an undisclosed hotel, to help them reconcile with their father.

The Tsimhoni children, ages 14, 10 and 9, have been in a summer camp as Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Lisa Gorcyca has sought ways to improve their relationship with their father, Omer Tsimhoni. Gorcyca made international headlines in July after it was reported that she'd found the children in contempt and sent them to detention after they refused to have lunch with their father. She eventually dropped the contempt and ordered them to attend a summer camp, where they have remained.

They are expected to be released from the camp later this month, and will go directly into the therapy, with their father participating. Their mother, Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni will not be allowed to attend. If the therapy goes well, they will spend the following 90 days with their father.

The program, which was not named in court to protect the family's privacy, is one of only a handful designed to treat "parental alienation," where one parent, particularly in a contentious divorce, encourages the children to reject the other parent. The judge and many of those involved in the 5-year-old case, including the children's appointed attorney and psychologists, say Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni has actively hampered the relationship between the children and their father, a claim she has denied.

“I’m trying to do the right thing by these children here, to try one last attempt to give them a lifeboat,” said attorney William Lansat, who was appointed by the court to look after the children’s best interest and who recommended the intensive therapy to help them reconcile with their father.

The father was supportive of the therapy.

"What has happened here in my professional opinion is far beyond the realm of reality," said attorney Keri Middleditch, who represents the father and in favor of the intensive therapy. "These poor, poor children. This is an outrage, and only kind of person who could do this is someone who is sick."

The mother's attorney, Andrew Abood, objected to the order of intensive therapy.

"We think this is going to be a disaster," he said. "We are asking about the methodology...to sweep them into a hotel room for five days to do what? It seems like there is an effort to attribute fault to the mother. Why is it up to mom to solve the problems that dad created?”

Gorcyca, however, said she was hopeful the program would work, and warned that she could still change permanent custody. "I hope those first five days are amazing," she said.

The family is due back in October, when Gorcyca will hear several days of testimony to determine if she should give the father full physical custody of the children.

Contact L.L. Brasier: 248-858-2262 or lbrasier@freepress.com