304 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    304 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Child abuse cases with hard-to-prove allegations pose challenges for all those who seek to protect the welfare of children. Helping courts, evaluators, guardians, and lawyers understand and work with difficult cases, Equivocal Child Abuse brings together insights, experience, and guidance from multiple sources to minimize unnecessary harm done to children and families. Exploring all facets of case management, the book discusses:

    • Legal concepts and theory, the history of guardians ad litem, and the complexity of the processes involved in legal decision making
    • How different court systems operate, the path of a case, and the roles of participants in custody cases
    • The investigative process, the evaluation of report credibility, the use of videotape, perspectives of child custody evaluators, and sample investigations
    • The testimony of expert witnesses, evaluators, guardians ad litem, and treating professionals; and the rules of evidence
    • Hazards practitioners face in domestic relations and custody cases, including licensing issues, civil suit actions, and personal safety concerns
    • Intervention options, such as supervised visitation, therapy for children, and mediation
    • Mental health issues in case participants, including borderline personality disorder, narcissistic and related personality patterns, affective disorders, and substance abuse
    • A working model for the forensic evaluator, with instructions on conducting the evaluation and reportage

    Filled with case studies to elucidate concepts, the book also contains appendices with recommended guidelines for interviewing children in cases of alleged sexual abuse, a line-by-line expert critique of a child interview, and other tools, making this volume a critical resource for all those who contend with these complex cases.

    Equivocality in a Complex Legal Context
    Context
    Principles of Chaos Theory as They Relate to the Arena Under
    Consideration
    Summary Point
    Principles of Therapeutic Jurisprudence as They Relate to the
    Arena Under Consideration
    Legal, Historical, and Psychosocial Background
    Two Problematic Psychological Concepts
    The Courts: Views Across and Within
    The Course of a Case
    The Rule of Law and the Law of Rules
    The Play of the Participants
    Investigation
    Current Theory and Research on Brain Function
    The Particular Problem of Lying
    Summary
    Abel Testing to Identify Potential Perpetrators
    Perspectives from Investigators
    Perspectives of Child Custody Evaluators
    Legal Standard Issues
    Some Case Investigations
    Case A
    Case B
    Case C
    The Expert in the Courtroom
    Types of Witnesses in DR Court Cases
    Evaluators
    Guardians ad Litem
    Treating Professionals
    Rules of Evidence
    Practitioner Hazards
    Legal Risks
    Personal Safety and Physical Risks
    One Psychologist’s Experience
    Practicing Defensively
    Intervention Options
    Initial Filing Phase
    Interim Pretrial Phase
    Hearing and Judgment Phase
    Postdecree Phase
    Child Therapy as a Means of Establishing Security
    Reunification Therapy
    Mediation
    The Parent Coordinator Process
    Parental Alienation Syndrome
    Mental Health Issues
    Borderline Personality Disorder
    Borderline Personality Disorder and Child Abuse
    Affective Disorders
    Substance Abuse
    Working Model for the Forensic Evaluator
    First Step—Conducting the Evaluation
    Second Step—Reportage
    Top Cat
    Equivocal Communication
    Change
    Appendices
    Index

    Biography

    Sandra B. McPherson, PhD, ABPP, has been involved in both clinical and forensic psychological work for more than 40 years in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Her forensic practice has focused on a combination of domestic relations cases and criminal court work, notably involving death penalty mitigation.

    Farshid Afsarifard, PhD, came to the United States in 1976. His clinical work has focused on the application of dialectical behavior therapy to different populations. His forensic interests and activities are in criminal and civil competencies, child custody, termination of parental rights, civil commitment, and mitigation in sentencing.