Whether assessing general family functioning or specific areas of conflict, professionals preparing child custody evaluations require sound knowledge of three interrelated fields: up-to-date legal issues, psychological findings, and forensic procedures. This book covers these three essential areas to walk readers through the evaluation process clearly and concisely. It further provides a unique combination of legal guidelines with social science research.

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.

This important contribution to understanding the whole process of conducting child custody evaluation, based on the author's extensive experience, examines in detail the complex questions and issues involved. The many topics addressed include: interviewing parents and children; testifying in court; writing custody evaluations; assessing the capacity to parent; assessing the attachment of children to their parents; planning custody and parental access; children's adjustment to divorce; domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse; mental illness; parental alienation; and on-going evaluation.

"This text is excellent and very timely. Philip Michael Stahl's second volume is the perfect supplement to his Conducting Child Custody Evaluations because it deals with specific issues of great concern to evaluators: parental alienation, allegations of sexual abuse, domestic violence, move-away situations, and high conflict families. The chapter dealing with child considerations is also very well done. His discussion of developmental considerations is clear and supported by the latest research in the field. I also liked his treatment of children's reaction to parental conflict, weighing the needs of the individual child with the needs of the sibling group, and giving the child a voice while protecting their privacy. I also appreciated his discussion of components of the evaluator's recommendation, use of psychological testing, Rosemary Vasquez's discussion of cultural issues, tackling the terror of testifying and ethical issues. Phil Stahl has written a very important text. It is timely, well written, and comprehensive. Nice work!!!" --Hugh McIsaac, Oregon Family Institute When performing a custody evaluation, how do professionals deal with the issue of domestic violence? What impact does one parent's moving away have on the evaluation? How should an evaluator handle high-conflict divorces? Over the past five to ten years, there has been a significant increase in the use of child custody evaluations by the courts. At the same time, the issues have become more complex and difficult. In this book, the author provides a theoretical and practical understanding of many of the factors that make custody evaluations complex. A key component is the integration of disparate research findings into a comprehensive resource that will enable the evaluator and the court to understand these complex issues. A second component is to provide a thorough understanding of the fact that divorce brings with it a set of complex needs, and evaluators and the courts must develop a paradigm for weighing these needs in a comprehensive manner. This book provides that paradigm.

Comprehensive coverage of every phase of the child custody evaluation process Does a clinician hired by a parent’s attorney bear the same responsibilities as a court-appointed psychologist? What are the most effective techniques for determining whether an alleged abuse has actually occurred? Which factors should be considered when determining whether a parent should be granted custody? Clinician’s Guide to Child Custody Evaluations, Second Edition answers these questions and hundreds more as it provides step-by-step guidance through every aspect of this sensitive and profoundly important process. Employing riveting case studies drawn from the more than 1,800 custody evaluations he has performed, Dr. Marc Ackerman provides authoritative guidelines for: Conducting interviews, observing behavior, and collecting collateral information Psychological testing and administering ASPECT and other custody instruments Evaluating parental behavior Reporting evaluation results Testifying in court This remarkably thorough resource offers completely up-to-date coverage of recent legal decisions affecting child custody, new surveys on what judges and attorneys want from evaluations, and new chapters on placement schedules and second-opinion evaluations. Clinician’s Guide to Child Custody Evaluations, Second Edition is must reading for every mental health professional who is–or would like to be–involved in child custody evaluations.

Whether assessing general family functioning or specific areas of conflict, professionals preparing child custody evaluations require sound knowledge of three interrelated fields: up-to-date legal issues, psychological findings, and forensic procedures. This book covers these three essential areas to walk readers through the evaluation process clearly and concisely. It further provides a unique combination of legal guidelines with social science research.

This authoritative reference brings together leading experts for up-to-date theory, findings, and guidelines on the core aspects of child custody evaluations. Contributors offer steps for gathering more accurate family data through home observations, interviews, and collateral information. Chapters examine psychological assessment tools commonly used in evaluations, including measures relating to parenting competencies, mental illness, domestic violence, and substance abuse, and consider increasingly salient issues such as relocation and families in therapy. The section on case studies shows best practices applied in real-life custody situations, and a chapter authored by a family court judge offers rarely-seen perspective from the bench. Featured in the Handbook: · A survey of ethical and professional issues. · Observing and interviewing children, adolescents, and adults. · Psychological assessment and personality testing. · A detailed review of the Bricklin scales. · Specialized issues, including parental alienation, attachment, cults, and more. · Illustrative case studies and psychological reports. Mental health professionals who conduct child custody evaluations, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists clinical social workers, family and marriage counselors, and licensed clinical professional counselors, will appreciate the Handbook of Child Custody. Family law attorneys will also find the Handbook useful in assisting them in child custody litigation. Its thorough coverage will aid evaluators in making recommendations that are professional, ethical, and impartial, and family lawyers in understanding the evaluation process and preparing for expert testimony.