Clinician's Guide to Child Custody EvaluationsComprehensive 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:
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. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 Clinicians Responsibilities | 11 |
3 How Divorce Affects Families | 40 |
4 What Encompasses a Custody Evaluation | 86 |
5 Interviews Behavioral Observations and Collateral Information | 108 |
6 Psychological Testing | 129 |
7 AckermanSchoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody ASPECT and Other Custody Instruments | 144 |
8 Guidelines for Evaluating Parents Behavior | 173 |
11 Reporting the Results | 244 |
12 Surviving Your Day in Court | 257 |
Appendix A Glossary of Legal Terms | 285 |
Appendix B Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct | 289 |
Appendix C Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists | 305 |
Appendix D Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings | 315 |
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