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List of contents
I. Child Custody Evaluations and the Best Interests of the Child
1. Introduction
2. The Best Interests of the Child Standard
II. The Art of Child Custody Evaluations
3. Ethics and Methods
4. Minimizing and Correcting for Bias
5. Increasing the Reliability and Relevance of Child Custody Evaluations
6. Interviewing Children
7. Children's Voices
III. The Science of Child Custody Evaluations: Factors to Assess in Child Custody Evaluations
8. Assessment of Child Developmental Factors
9. Assessment of Parent Factors
10. Assessment of Family Factors
IV. The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations: Assessing Allegations of Maltreatment
11. Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse
12. Assessing Allegations of Domestic Violence
13. Assessing Allegations of Child Alienation
14. Another Call for Humility
Appendix: Sample Statements of Understanding and Letters
About the author
Jonathan W. Gould, PhD, ABPP, practices forensic psychology with a specialization in issues related to family law, including child custody, and is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He performs court-appointed custody evaluations and consults with attorneys and psychologists in the areas of child custody, Child Protective Services evaluations such as termination of parental rights, and professional ethics and standards. Dr. Gould also consults with attorneys in the areas of criminal child sexual abuse and other forms of child maltreatment.
David A. Martindale, PhD, ABPP, is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He performed court-appointed custody evaluations for 16 years in New York state and served as the Reporter for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts’ Model Standards for Child Custody Evaluation. Dr. Martindale’s practice is now limited to consulting with attorneys, psychologists, and psychology licensing boards in the areas of child custody and professional ethics and standards.
Summary
Addresses key topics in child custody evaluation. This book describes data-based approaches to understanding and assessing relevant child, parent, and family factors. Going beyond the basics, it gives in-depth attention to issues like, how to evaluate allegations of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and child alienation.
