Clinician's Gde.to Child Custody Eval.

9780471052524

0471052523

Clinician's Guide to Child Custody Evaluations No one suffers more or has more to lose from a divorce than the children involved. In helping to minimize the potential damage to these young victims, there is no more crucial issue than the awarding of custody. Fortunately, it is now common practice for courts and attorneys to enlist the aid of psychologists to perform expert evaluations of the custody arrangement which would be in the best interest of the child. With many marriages now ending in divorce, the demand for professionals capable of performing this difficult, yet rewarding, service is greater than ever. More and more mental health professionals are entering this branch of forensic psychology, yet to date, there are but a scant few books expressly designed to quickly and thoroughly educate professionals in the full range of skills they need to perform this Vitally important service. Comprehensive, authoritative, and very practical, this guide does just that. From getting started in the field, to selecting and administering tests, to conducting interviews and drawing conclusions, to reporting findings and testifying in court, it provides professionals with detailed clinical guidelines for performing evaluations while schooling them in all the legal, ethical, and practical aspects of serving as expert witnesses, mediators, or court appointed psychologists in custody cases. Few writers are as qualified as Dr. Marc Ackerman to author such a work. An acknowledged expert in the field who has conducted more than 1,000 child custody evaluations, Ackerman is also the author of the Ackerman-Schoendorf Scale for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT), a widely used psychological test which is designed to measure the important variables which impact custody decisions. In this book, he shares the fruits of his considerable experience, offering many invaluable insights and lessons learned through years of trial and error. He also arms readers with sample forms, official guidelines, professional codes, and a wide range of other useful "hardware" indispensable to the forensic psychologist. Offering detailed clinical guidelines to conducting custody evaluations and expert advice from one of the most knowledgeable professionals working in the field today, this book is a valuable resource for all mental health professionals involved with or contemplating becoming involved with child custody evaluations.