CUSTODY EVALUATIONS |
| |
| Authors: | Diane A Trombetta PhD |
| |
| Institution: | Diane A. Trombetta is a mediator, psychotherapist, and custody evaluator in private practice in Los Gatos, California. She also teachs at John F. Kennedy University and regularly conducts workshops on divorce, child custody, and mediation. |
| |
| Abstract: | The procedures used to conduct custody evaluations and the purpose of such reports are currently under review by mental health and legal professionals. This article describes (a) the limitations inherent in clinical assessment and (b) characteristics of the adjudication process which necessarily limit the evaluator's thoroughness and the potential usefulness of evaluations. Given the primitive methods available for assessing families and predicting outcomes, the inability and unwillingness of the courts to process large amounts of clinical data, the conflicting motives surrounding evaluations, and the biases inherent in custody recommendations, the author argues for limited, well-defined, and objectively supported assessment procedures and evaluation criteria. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
