Complex Issues in Child Custody Evaluations

By Philip M. Stahl

Book Overview

This text is excellent and very timely. Philip Michael Stahl′s second volume is the perfect supplement to his Conducting Child Custody Evaluations because it deals with specific issues of great concern to evaluators: parental alienation, allegations of sexual abuse, domestic violence, move-away situations, and high conflict families. The chapter dealing with child considerations is also very well done. His discussion of developmental considerations is clear and supported by the latest research in the field. I also liked his treatment of children′s reaction to parental conflict, weighing the needs of the individual child with the needs of the sibling group, and giving the child a voice while protecting their privacy. I also appreciated his discussion of components of the evaluator′s recommendation, use of psychological testing, Rosemary Vasquez′s discussion of cultural issues, tackling the terror of testifying and ethical issues. Phil Stahl has written a very important text. It is timely, well written, and comprehensive. Nice work --Hugh McIsaac, Oregon Family Institute When performing a custody evaluation, how do professionals deal with the issue of domestic violence? What impact does one parent′s moving away have on the evaluation? How should an evaluator handle high-conflict divorces? Over the past five to ten years, there has been a significant increase in the use of child custody evaluations by the courts. At the same time, the issues have become more complex and difficult. In this book, the author provides a theoretical and practical understanding of many of the factors that make custody evaluations complex. A key component is the integration of disparate research findings into a comprehensive resource that will enable the evaluator and the court to understand these complex issues. A second component is to provide a thorough understanding of the fact that divorce brings with it a set of complex needs, and evaluators and the courts must develop a paradigm for weighing these needs in a comprehensive manner. This book provides that paradigm.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761919090
• ISBN13: 9780761919094
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Complex Issues in Child Custody Evaluations

An absolute must for any mental health professional who does any custody related work, or any attorney who ever has, or might, handle a divorce case with contested custody!Phil Stahl is one of the most coherent, literate and useful writers in this area; he has the experience, the knowledge and a great way of telling it all so that it makes a great deal of sense. No library is complete without this title!

Complex Issues in Child Custody Evaluations

Highly comprehensive work in the area of child custody evaluations. Not for lay people. Highly recommended for psychologists and a must for Family Law attorneys dealing with child custody determinations.