Forensic Mental Health Professionals have entered the fray of child custody litigation in ways that could not have been predicted even a decade ago. Traditionally engaged as neutral court appointed evaluators or mediators, or as treatment providers for children, parents or families, FMHPs are assuming a range of consulting functions. Services span a wide range, including providing expert testimony on specific content areas; reviewing and critiquing colleague’s work product; providing behind the scenes consultation to attorneys, and even help attorneys manage difficult cases and clients. These more recent services raise questions about sound professional practice. This volume tackles these thorny issues head on, and discusses questions how consultants can work creatively and ethically to make a positive contribution in the challenging world of family law. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Child Custody.

This is the first comprehensive examination of the increasingly important role of forensic psychologists in consulting and expert witness testimony in child custody litigation. Offering practical advice on understanding the psychological dynamics often found in these cases, the authors use real-world examples where critical issues such as the developmental need of children, relocation, domestic violence, and the alienated child are involved. They detail a logical process for critiquing the evaluation reports of others and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a case.

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

"[T]he best and most useful social science text I have read in a decadeÖ.It is comprehensive in its research and scope, clearly written and uses excellent case studies and examples to illustrate in simple terms what might otherwise be complex phenomena." --Dr. Tom Altobelli Federal Magistrate, Family Law Courts Sydney, Australia The goal of every family law professional and mental health practitioner is to improve family court outcomes in the best interests of the child. This book will assist readers in meeting this critical goal. Developmental Psychology for Family Law Professionals serves as a practical application of developmental theory to the practice of family law. This book helps family law and mental health professionals gain a broader understanding of each child's unique needs when in the midst of family crisis. It presents developmental theories with which professionals might better assess the developmental needs, synchronies, and trajectories of a given child. Ultimately, this book presents guidelines for making appropriate legal decisions and recommendations for children who have experienced crises such as abuse, neglect, relocation, divorce, and much more. Key topics include: Custodial schedules Foster and adoptive care Post-divorce disputes Termination of parental rights Psychological assessment and diagnosis Incarcerated parents and visitation rights Relocation and "distance parenting" Visitation resistance and refusal/reunification Parental Alienation/alignment and estrangement Theories of cognitive, language, and social development

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.

It addresses test selection issues, provides insightful discussions of how to confront confirmatory biases and avoid the distortion of test findings, and takes an in-depth look at the MMPI-2 and Rorschach tests. Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations concludes with a point-counterpoint discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT) between creator Marc J.

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.