Parenting Plan Evaluations Applied Research for the Family Court

by Kuehnle, Kathryn; Drozd, Leslie

• ISBN13: 9780199754021
• ISBN10: 0199754020
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

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 PlanEvaluationsis 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.

Author Biography

Kathryn Kuehnle, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with a forensic private practice and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, University of South Florida. She acts as a consulting and testimonial expert in family, civil and criminal law cases and specializes in conducting evaluations in complex family law cases with allegations of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Dr. Kuehnle has written over 15 book chapters and 5 books, as well as numerous articles published in peer reviewed journals.

Leslie Drozd, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child therapist, specializing in family violence, trauma, and substance abuse. She is a consulting and testimonial expert, trains judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals, and has a variety of professional publications including books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. She is the editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Child Custody.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. vii
Introduction	p. xi
Foundation of Personality Development: Attachment and Parent Insightfulness
Attachment and Child Custody: The Importance of Available Parents	p. 5
Parents' Insightfulness: The Importance of Keeping the Inner World of the Child in Mind for Parenting Plan Evaluations	p. 25
Factors Associated with Children's Adjustment to Parents' Separation
Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Child and Adolescent Adjustment Following Separation and Divorce: Social Science Applications	p. 49
Quality of Maternal and Paternal Parenting Following Separation and Divorce	p. 85
Supporting Father Involvement in the Context of Separation and Divorce	p. 123
Factors Associated with Children's Adjustment to Time-Sharing
Shared-Time Parenting: An Evidence-Based Matrix for Evaluating Risk	p. 155
Parenting Time, Parent Conflict, Parent-Child Relationships, and Children's Physical Health	p. 188
Critical Analysis of Research on Parenting Plans and Children's Well-Being	p. 214
Children's Disorders that Require Specialized Parenting
Co-parenting Children with Chronic Medical Conditions	p. 247
Co-parenting Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders	p. 270
Co-parenting Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders	p. 330
Parent Behaviors Affecting Co-parenting and the Stability of the Parent-Child Relationships
Gatekeeping after Separation and Divorce	p. 369
Empirical Studies of Alienation	p. 399
Domestic Violence and Child Custody	p. 442
Present and Future Cultural and Political Issues
Never-Married Parents in Family Court	p. 479
Gay and Lesbian Parents and Their Children: Research Relevant to Custody Cases	p. 500
Cultural Dynamics of Divorce and Parenting	p. 514
Relocation, Research, and Child Custody Disputes	p. 540
Science and the Law
Judicial Impact: The Best Interests of the Child and the Daubert and Frye Evidentiary Frameworks	p. 563
Conclusion
Evidence-Based Practice	p. 577
Index	p. 583
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