Preface | |
Critical Professional and Ethical Issues | |
Introduction to the Role, Ethics, and Professional Responsibility | |
How the Courts Benefit From an Evaluation | |
How the Family Benefits From an Evaluation | |
When is the Evaluation Harmful | |
Who is the Client/Consumer | |
Practical Standards and Ethical Issues | |
Evaluator Biases | |
Reducing the Risk of Bias | |
The Mental Health Expert's Many Possible Roles | |
Therapists | |
Therapeutic Reunification | |
Collaborative Law Coach | |
Psychologist Evaluator/Psychiatrist/Vocational Evaluator | |
Mediator | |
Consultant to Attorney/Expert Witness | |
Parent Coordinator | |
The Custody Evaluator | |
Dual Relationships | |
Fundamental Questions in Most Custody Evaluations | |
The Best Interests of the Child | |
The Family's Relationships | |
Parenting Strengths and Weaknesses | |
The Co-Parental Relationship | |
Time-Sharing Recommendations | |
General divorce-Related Research and Basic Statutory and Case Law | |
A Quick Primer on Research | |
Risks of Divorce to Children | |
Risk vs. Resiliency | |
Mitigating Factors | |
Research on Parent's Relationships After Divorce | |
Basic Statutory and Case Law | |
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) | |
Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act | |
Troxel Vs. Granville (2000) | |
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction | |
California Statutes and Case Law | |
Children's Developmental Needs | |
A Developmental Framework | |
Conducting the Child Custody Evaluation | |
Conducting the Evaluation Part I: Observations and Techniques With Adults | |
The Court Order and Initial Contact With Attorneys | |
The Initial Phone Call and Contacts With Parents | |
The Initial Contact | |
The First Conjoint Appointment | |
The Initial Individual Appointment | |
The Second Interview and Beyond | |
What to Believe? | |
The Use of Psychological Tests | |
Conducting the Evaluation Part II: Observations and Techniques With Children | |
Significant Issues in the Assessment of Children/Gaining Rapport at the Beginning of the First Interview | |
Children and the Potential for Suggestibility | |
Children and Their Language | |
Gathering Information About the Child's Experiences | |
Directly Assessing the Parent-Child Bond | |
Siblings Together, or Not? | |
Use of Play and Other Techniques in Understanding Children | |
Home Visits | |
The Preference of the Child | |
The Use of Psychological Testing in Custody Evaluations | |
Review of the Literature | |
Traditional Psychological Tests | |
Tests Designed Specifically for Custody Evaluations | |
Parenting Inventories | |
Tests for Children | |
Benefits of Using Tests | |
Risks in Using Tests | |
Computerized Test Results | |
A Balanced Approach | |
Gathering of Collateral Data | |
What is Collateral Data? | |
Benefits of Using Collateral Data | |
Record Review | |
Gathering Lists of Collateral Sources | |
Who To Talk To - A Concentric Circle Approach | |
Interviewing Collateral Sources | |
Sharing the Results of the Evaluation - The Evaluation Report | |
AFCC Model Standards | |
Basic Characteristics of a Quality Report | |
Information Which Must be in Every Report | |
The Parents | |
The Children | |
Collateral Information | |
Analysis and Summary | |
Recommendations | |
Complex Issues to be Evaluated | |
Non-Violent High Conflict Families | |
Contribution From Personality Features | |
Contribution From Other Sources | |
Recommendations for High Conflict Families | |
A Case for Sole Legal custody of Decision Making | |
Domestic Violence | |
The Concept of Differentiation | |
Approaching the Family's Domestic Violence Issues | |
Parenting Problems of Domestic Violence Parents | |
Gathering Data | |
The Alphabet Soup of Using Data to Formulate Conclusions | |
Using the PPPP Analysis with the RRR Concepts to Reach a Decision About the Parenting Plan | |
Therapeutic and Structural Interventions | |
The Alienated Child | |
Contribution to the Child's Alienated Response | |
Parent Contributions to the Development of Alienation | |
Child Contributions to the Development of Alienation | |
Typical Alienated Behaviors in Children | |
Emotional Impact of Alienation on Children | |
Dynamics of the Larger System | |
Evaluation of Alienation | |
Other Reasons for Alignment With One Parent - What to Look for in the Children | |
Concluding the Evaluation | |
Relocation Evaluations | |
Legal Considerations in Relocation Evaluations - Relevant Case Law | |
Legal Considerations in Relocation Evaluations - Relevant Statutory Law | |
The Psychological Literature Related to Relocation | |
Societal Issue That Often Lead to Requests to Move | |
Factors for the Evaluator to Consider | |
Special Issues in International Cases | |
Avoiding Bias | |
Tackling the Terror of Testifying | |
The Deposition | |
The Process at Trial | |
Preparing for the Testimony | |
Testifying Procedures | |
Stick to the Data | |
Dealing With Hypothetical Questions | |
Remain Professional | |
Trick Questions | |
Do's and Don'ts for Testifying in Court | |
Critiquing Evaluations | |
Conclusions | |
Special Needs for Children | |
Substance Abuse Issues | |
Sexual Abuse Allegations | |
Longitudinal Evaluations | |
Conclusions | |
Appendices | |
Sample Court Order | |
Sample Informed Consent and Retainer Agreement | |
Sample Intake Form | |
Sample Listing of Questions for Parents | |
Sample Listing of Questions for Children | |
Sample Alienation Analysis and Recommendation | |
Sample Relocaiton Analysis and Recommendation | |
References | |
About the Author | |
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