SCIENTIFICALLY CRAFTED CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATIONS |
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| Authors: | Jonathan W. Gould |
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| Affiliation: | Jonathan Gould, Ph.D., is a practicing forensic and clinical psychlogist in Charlotte, North Carolina. He specializes in child custody, sexual abuse, and personal injury evaluations. He is author of the book;, Conducting Scientifically Crafted Child Custody Evaluations (Sage, 1998) and the upcoming book, How to Prepare for a Child Custody Evaluation (Family Law Section of the American Bar Association). |
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| Abstract: | This article proposes a model for the interdisciplinary colloboration of judges, attorneys, and evaluators prior to the writting of a court order for child custody evaluation in the formulation of specific psycholegal questions that guide the examination. These questions accurately reflect the concerns of the court, the attorneys, and the parties to the dispute while framing the evaluation questions within the behavioral sciences, suitable for evaluation by a mental health professional. Such a model best suits the court by providing information on specific, legally relevant areas of parenting, child development, and/or mental health useful to the trier of fact. |
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