Improving the Quality of Child Custody Evaluations

Improving the Quality of Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Lauren Woodward Tolle
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 146143405X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
​ ​ This book resolves a key problem that all evaluators need to attend to:, i.e., what constructs ought to be measured?, all the while giving them practical ways of doing this. It also presents data showing family court judges like the model, and it does this fairly briefly but in a way that is nicely embedded in the research literature.

Improving the Quality of Child Custody Evaluations

Improving the Quality of Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Lauren Woodward Tolle
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 146143405X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
​ ​ This book resolves a key problem that all evaluators need to attend to:, i.e., what constructs ought to be measured?, all the while giving them practical ways of doing this. It also presents data showing family court judges like the model, and it does this fairly briefly but in a way that is nicely embedded in the research literature.

Parenting Plan & Child Custody Evaluations

Parenting Plan & Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Leslie Drozd
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781568871486
Category : Custody of children
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description


Parenting Plan Evaluations

Parenting Plan Evaluations PDF Author: Kathryn Kuehnle
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199754020
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 630

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Book Description
When conducting parenting plan evaluations, mental health professionals need to be aware of a myriad of different factors. More so than in any other form of forensic evaluation, they must have an understanding of the most current findings in developmental research, behavioral psychology, attachment theory, and legal issues to substantiate their opinions. With a number of publications on child custody available, there is an essential need for a text focused on translating the research associated with the most important topics within the family court. This book addresses this gap in the literature by presenting an organized and in-depth analysis of the current research and offering specific recommendations for applying these findings to the evaluation process. Written by experts in the child custody arena, chapters cover issues associated with the most important and complex issues that arise in family court, such as attachment and overnight timesharing with very young children, dynamics between divorced parents and children's potential for resiliency, co-parenting children with chronic medical conditions and developmental disorders, domestic violence during separation and divorce, gay and lesbian co-parents, and relocation, among others. The scientific information provided in these chapters assists forensic mental health professionals to proffer empirically-based opinions, conclusions and recommendations. Parenting Plan Evaluations is a must-read for legal practitioners, family law judges and attorneys, and other professionals seeking to understand more about the science behind child custody evaluations.

Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations

Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Leslie Drozd
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317824903
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
A focused look at the uses—and misuses—of psychological tests in the context of child custody This book presents an advanced examination of psychological testing and usage in the child custody arena. It addresses test selection issues, provides insightful discussions of how to confront confirmatory biases and avoid the distortion of test findings, and presents clear instructions for the use of specific tests, including MMPI-2 and Rorschach, and a point/counterpoint discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT). Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations can be viewed as a work in three parts. The first section addresses theoretical and test usage issues, with chapters focusing on: addressing test selection issues from legal and psychological perspectives bias issues that interfere with the evaluator’s ability to collect and consider data objectively a functional, comprehensive approach to the use of psychological tests in a child custody evaluation—with a conceptual framework for choosing assessment techniques to assess parenting competencies and other variables important in forming opinions about custodial placement and visitation access, and a practical example of how to present psychological test data in an advisory report to the court a look at psychological testing from an attorney’s point of view The second section of Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations focuses on the MMPI-2 and the Rorschach Inkblot Test in the child custody context, investigating hypotheses that can be inferred from the MMPI-2 regarding parenting behaviors, and the use and value of the Rorschach. This section examines: the foundation from which the MMPI-2 can generate expectations regarding five basic issues—the quality of attachment and bonding, potential for antisocial behavior, temper control, alienation of affection, and chemical abuse and dependence the range of variables that will generate useful hypotheses regarding parent-child interactions and family systems the effects of the circumstances of litigation on score elevations—including recommended limits as to how much elevation can be dismissed as only contextual the important differences between occasion validity and attribute validity the clinical application of an objective interpretation system, including the courtroom credibility of explicit convergent validity the use of the Rorschach in child custody evaluations findings from a study using the Rorschach to address specific parenting variables The third section of Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations is a focused point-counterpoint discussion of ASPECT, between test creator Marc J. Ackerman and Mary Connell, President of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. This book is essential reading for child custody evaluators, family law attorneys, and judges practicing in the family law arena, as well as educators and students in these fields.

Psychological Experts in Divorce Actions

Psychological Experts in Divorce Actions PDF Author: Marc J. Ackerman
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
ISBN: 0735549265
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 1116

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Book Description
Emotionally charged issues abound in matrimonial practice, especially in custody disputes. Expert testimony can have a dramatic impact on the outcome of a case, and when matters are highly sensitive or sensational the seeming objectivity of an expert can be dispositive. To effectively reinforce or question that testimony, certain specialized knowledge is essential. Scientifically accepted standards and theories are constantly evolving. Keeping up with the data had been a challenge, but one integrated resource has made it simple. Aspen Publishers’ Psychological Experts in Divorce Actions pulls all the research together into the definitive guide to understanding the role of psychological evaluations in divorce and custody actions. Focused on providing the best approach to protecting your client’s interests, this work explains all the leading testing instruments,what conclusions may be drawn and how to challenge or support those conclusions. In addition to offering effective examination and cross-examination strategies, it assists you in handling the gamut of psychological factors that affect clients in divorce and custody cases. Authors Marc J. Ackerman, Ph.D ., and Andrew W. Kane, Ph.D ., are licensed psychologists who have been involved in hundreds of custody cases. Drawing on their extensive experience—testing parties to a divorce and treating psychological patients in the clinic—and as psychological experts in the courtroom, they identify the most important psychological evaluation research used in divorce and custody decision-making and distill the information into clear terms lawyers can readily apply.They also examine vital issues including: Ethics —confidentiality, privilege, duty to warn or protect (Tarasoff), sharing raw data, test integrity Sexual abuse —bona fide or fabricated allegations, psychological effects of sexual abuse, profiles of abuser and abused Testing —personality tests (including MMPI-2, And The new MMPI-2-RF, Rorschach,Millon,TAT); intelligence tests (Wechsler scales,Kaufman scales, Stanford Binet); custody tests (ASPECT, PCRI, PASS, BPS); and many more How divorce affects families —custody, placement, age and gender differences, grandparents, sexual preference, psychological problems

Conducting Child Custody Evaluations

Conducting Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Philip M. Stahl
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483343197
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Covering the mental health expert′s many roles as therapist, mediator, evaluator, consultant to attorneys, expert witness, and more, Philip M. Stahl′s Conducting Child Custody Evaluations: From Basic to Complex Issues addresses key topics such as the best interests of the child, custody and time share, divorce and its impact on children, and children′s developmental needs. From tackling the terror of testifying to critiquing your own child custody evaluations and avoiding bias inherent in this work, this practical and easy-to-read book offers comprehensive coverage vital to practitioners in this field.

The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations

The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations PDF Author: Jonathan W. Gould
Publisher: Guilford Press
ISBN: 1593854889
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
This book presents the latest data-based approaches to understanding and assessing relevant child, parent and family factors in child custody evaluation.

Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases

Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases PDF Author: Philip M. Stahl
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136456317
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Find out how evaluators, mediators, and judges deal with the issues of relocation in divorced families In the past, the relocation of a parent or child in custody cases was rarely a problem for divorced families—there was little conflict and little need for court intervention. But with the growth of shared custody, more fathers involved in parenting after divorce, and an increase in litigation between conflicted parents, relocation has become a complex issue that’s difficult for evaluators, judges, and public policymakers to resolve. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases offers a firsthand look at how evaluators investigate, predict, and make recommendations; how judges reach decisions based on those recommendations; and how individual states deal with relocation cases. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases examines how evaluators, mediators, and judges can best facilitate an environment where a child has an ongoing relationship with two parents, regardless of where each parent lives. This unique book looks at how the landscape in relocation cases has changed since the California Supreme Court’s landmark 2004 ruling in the LaMusga move-away case, examining relevant topics, including individual state statutes on relocation; a survey of courts in the United States; the functions of an evaluator; how a judge analyzes data before reaching a decision; parental conflict; domestic violence; change of circumstances; primary residence; and the process of developing parenting plans. Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases examines: whether negative outcomes of parental relocation after divorce were a result of pre-existing conflict and domestic violence whether the “best interests of the child” is an acceptable standard in relocation cases investigative models for evaluators “for the move” and “against the move” biases—and how to reduce them a format for analyzing evidence in relocation cases the risks and benefits of presumptions in family law matters and much more Relocation Issues in Child Custody Cases is an essential resource for evaluators, mediators, judges, caseworkers, child psychologists, family therapists, and child advocates.

Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11

Parental Alienation, DSM-5, and ICD-11 PDF Author: William Bernet
Publisher: Charles C Thomas Publisher
ISBN: 0398079455
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Parental alienation is an important phenomenon that mental health professionals should know about and thoroughly understand, especially those who work with children, adolescents, divorced adults, and adults whose parents divorced when they were children. In this book, the authors define parental alienation as a mental condition in which a child - usually one whose parents are engaged in a high- conflict divorce - allies himself or herself strongly with one parent (the preferred parent) and rejects a relationship with the other parent (the alienated parent) without legitimate justification. This process leads to a tragic outcome when the child and the alienated parent, who previously had a loving and mutually satisfying relationship, lose the nurture and joy of that relationship for many years and perhaps for their lifetimes. We estimate that 1 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. experience parental alienation. When the phenomenon is properly recognized, this condition is preventable and treatable in many instances. The authors of this book believe that parental alienation is not simply a minor aberration in the life of a family, but a serious mental condition. Because of the false belief that the alienated parent is a dangerous or unworthy person, the child loses one of the most important relationships in his or her life. This book contains much information about the validity, reliability, and prevalence of parental alienation. It also includes a comprehensive international bibliography regarding parental alienation with more than 600 citations. In order to bring life to the definitions and the technical writing, several short clinical vignettes have been included. These vignettes are based on actual families and real events, but have been modified to protect the privacy of both the parents and children.

The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions

The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions PDF Author: Robert M. Galatzer-Levy
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470459336
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 735

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Book Description
The legal system requires mental health professionals to provide research summaries to support their evaluations in child custody cases. Contributions from leading developmental researchers, legal professionals, and clinicians describe how scientific evidence is properly used in court. Timely and current, this book helps evaluators access the best information to fulfill their obligations to their clients and the court. The Second Edition adds chapters on family observation, parental alienation, and sexual abuse. Forensic psychologists, family lawyers, and judges will be equipped with the most current information to aid in custody decisions.