Forensic Mental Health Consulting in Family Law


Book Description

Forensic Mental Health Professionals have entered the fray of child custody litigation in ways that could not have been predicted even a decade ago. Traditionally engaged as neutral court appointed evaluators or mediators, or as treatment providers for children, parents or families, FMHPs are assuming a range of consulting functions. Services span a wide range, including providing expert testimony on specific content areas; reviewing and critiquing colleague’s work product; providing behind the scenes consultation to attorneys, and even help attorneys manage difficult cases and clients. These more recent services raise questions about sound professional practice. This volume tackles these thorny issues head on, and discusses questions how consultants can work creatively and ethically to make a positive contribution in the challenging world of family law. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Child Custody.




Forensic Psychology Consultation in Child Custody Litigation


Book Description

This is the first comprehensive examination of the increasingly important role of forensic psychologists in consulting and expert witness testimony in child custody litigation. Offering practical advice on understanding the psychological dynamics often found in these cases, the authors use real-world examples where critical issues such as the developmental need of children, relocation, domestic violence, and the alienated child are involved. They detail a logical process for critiquing the evaluation reports of others and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a case.




The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations


Book Description

This book presents the latest data-based approaches to understanding and assessing relevant child, parent and family factors in child custody evaluation.




Latin American Social Work in the Justice System


Book Description

Social work has long been working directly with the criminal and civil courts of the justice system. The work of Latin American practitioners in the legal system, however, is little known at global and local levels. This book is the first to go beyond Western-centric appraisals and presents a truly Latin American portrait of social work in the justice system. The long-term interaction of social work practitioners with the judicial system enabled them to develop an expertise to dialogue with other disciplines such as law and psychology. This knowledge is very important to identify and share with other professionals to develop specialized programs for education and training. In this sense, positive and negative experiences of social work in the justice system allow one to improve its practice. It is crucial to identify local experiences and the great dilemmas that the profession faces on this subject. The volume's chapters deal with these dynamics in Latin American countries including: Forensic Social Work: The construction of possible ways of the criminal intervention Socio-Legal Social Work in the Field of Criminal Defense Family and Community Life: Contributions of Social Work to the Debate in Family Courts Support to Victims in High-conflict Scenarios: An approach from the socio-legal, the pedagogical, and the care perspectives The Assessment of Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Allegations from a Social Work Perspective Latin American Social Work in the Justice System is essential reading for students, researchers, academicians, policymakers, and practitioners who are interested in international social work with a special focus on Latin American countries and legal culture. Students and scholars in law, development studies, and public policy as well as psychologists working with and interested in the judicial system would also find this book a useful resource.




Developmental Psychology for Family Law Professionals


Book Description

"[T]he best and most useful social science text I have read in a decadeÖ.It is comprehensive in its research and scope, clearly written and uses excellent case studies and examples to illustrate in simple terms what might otherwise be complex phenomena." --Dr. Tom Altobelli Federal Magistrate, Family Law Courts Sydney, Australia The goal of every family law professional and mental health practitioner is to improve family court outcomes in the best interests of the child. This book will assist readers in meeting this critical goal. Developmental Psychology for Family Law Professionals serves as a practical application of developmental theory to the practice of family law. This book helps family law and mental health professionals gain a broader understanding of each child's unique needs when in the midst of family crisis. It presents developmental theories with which professionals might better assess the developmental needs, synchronies, and trajectories of a given child. Ultimately, this book presents guidelines for making appropriate legal decisions and recommendations for children who have experienced crises such as abuse, neglect, relocation, divorce, and much more. Key topics include: Custodial schedules Foster and adoptive care Post-divorce disputes Termination of parental rights Psychological assessment and diagnosis Incarcerated parents and visitation rights Relocation and "distance parenting" Visitation resistance and refusal/reunification Parental Alienation/alignment and estrangement Theories of cognitive, language, and social development




Introduction to Forensic Psychology


Book Description

"The text provides a great, general overview of different areas of criminal and civil forensic psychology." —Apryl Alexander, PsyD, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Denver Written by authors with extensive experience in the field and in the classroom, Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Research and Application, Fifth Edition demonstrates how to analyze psychological knowledge and research findings and then apply these findings to the civil and criminal justice systems. Focusing on research-based forensic practice and practical application, this text uses real-life examples and case law discussions to define and explore forensic psychology. This text introduces students to emerging specializations within forensic psychology, including investigative psychology, family forensic psychology, and police and public safety psychology. Students will develop a multicultural perspective with an ethnic and racial sensitivity, which is critical to the successful practice of forensic psychology. New to the Fifth Edition: Updated statistics, research, and case law, such as recent Aid in Dying legislation, as well as analysis of recent events, help students see the real-world applications to current events. Updated Focus boxes empower students to dig deeper into current issues, such as mental health courts, community-oriented policing, child abduction, hate crimes, the death penalty, and more. All Focus boxes also contain discussion questions for students to debate in a classroom setting. All new From My Perspective boxes provide students with information about career choices as well as helpful advice about pursuing their goals. Increased attention to immigration-related issues offers students additional insights into immigration proceedings and ways to consult with the courts. Additional coverage of human trafficking and online sexual predators enables students to better understand the psychological effects on victims and the services available to help. Current research on violent video games, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking provides real examples of the effects of violent media. New research on juveniles allows students to see the important contributions of neuropsychologists, particularly in terms of brain development in adolescents and promising community-based treatment approaches for juveniles. SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning. Learn more at edge.sagepub.com/bartol5e.




Forensic Mental Health Evaluations in the Digital Age


Book Description

This is the first book devoted to the use of social media and other internet-derived data in forming forensic clinical opinions of behavior. Designed for mental health practitioners, it outlines the challenges and the benefits of incorporating digital information in forensic assessments. It offers best practice guidelines geared to both criminal and civil psycho-legal questions. Each chapter includes a brief overview of the psycho-legal issues, clinical applications of consulting internet-based data, ethical and legal considerations and real life, de-identified case examples. This book provides guidance to the clinician in an emerging technological environment in which there are few resources, and ensures a more scientific and legally sound practice.




Parenting Plan Evaluations


Book Description

When conducting parenting plan evaluations, mental health professionals need to be aware of a myriad of different factors. More so than in any other form of forensic evaluation, they must have an understanding of the most current findings in developmental research, behavioral psychology, attachment theory, and legal issues to substantiate their opinions. With a number of publications on child custody available, there is an essential need for a text focused on translating the research associated with the most important topics within the family court. This book addresses this gap in the literature by presenting an organized and in-depth analysis of the current research and offering specific recommendations for applying these findings to the evaluation process. Written by experts in the child custody arena, chapters cover issues associated with the most important and complex issues that arise in family court, such as attachment and overnight timesharing with very young children, dynamics between divorced parents and children's potential for resiliency, co-parenting children with chronic medical conditions and developmental disorders, domestic violence during separation and divorce, gay and lesbian co-parents, and relocation, among others. The scientific information provided in these chapters assists forensic mental health professionals to proffer empirically-based opinions, conclusions and recommendations. Parenting Plan Evaluations is a must-read for legal practitioners, family law judges and attorneys, and other professionals seeking to understand more about the science behind child custody evaluations.




The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions


Book Description

The legal system requires mental health professionals to provide research summaries to support their evaluations in child custody cases. Contributions from leading developmental researchers, legal professionals, and clinicians describe how scientific evidence is properly used in court. Timely and current, this book helps evaluators access the best information to fulfill their obligations to their clients and the court. The Second Edition adds chapters on family observation, parental alienation, and sexual abuse. Forensic psychologists, family lawyers, and judges will be equipped with the most current information to aid in custody decisions.




Conducting Child Custody Evaluations


Book Description

Covering the mental health expert′s many roles as therapist, mediator, evaluator, consultant to attorneys, expert witness, and more, Philip M. Stahl′s Conducting Child Custody Evaluations: From Basic to Complex Issues 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. From tackling the terror of testifying to critiquing your own child custody evaluations and avoiding bias inherent in this work, this practical and easy-to-read book offers comprehensive coverage vital to practitioners in this field.