A Comprehensive Guide to Child Custody Evaluations: Mental Health and Legal Perspectives

n order to assist families embroiled in child custody disputes, Ithe courts order thousands of child custody evaluations each year. Some of these evaluations are brief, problem-focused asse- ments aimed at quickly resolving a specific area of dispute. Other evaluations are more comprehensive, covering all aspects of family functioning in complex cases. The process of ordering, conducting, or assessing either type of child custody evaluation requires a clear understanding of how legal and psychological issues are int- twined in each case. This book is designed to meet this need for a comprehensive guide that combines legal information and forensic procedures with the social science research that must be the basis for all custody recommendations and decisions. The book should be helpful to three separate but related groups of experienced professionals: (a) family and probate judges, (b) family practice attorneys, and (c) forensic mental health professionals. Before they can order a custody evaluation and use the inf- mation it provides, judges must have a clear understanding of how to integrate clinical information about each family with the related social science research. This book will also enable judges to assess each custody report in terms of (a) the professional and legal gui- lines for conducting custody evaluations, and (b) research-based criteria in each area of family functioning. The text and CD also offer examples of how best to write orders for custody evaluations, and detailed parenting plans that address the issues in each family.

From the reviews:

"If you are involved in any aspect of child custody cases, as a lawyer, mental health professional, judge or litigant, Dr. Rohrbaugh’s book contains everything that you will ever need to understand and conduct a child custody evaluation. The text is logically constructed, and encompasses both the legal and mental health aspects of this complex topic. Her crystalline writing style makes even the murkiest subject areas comprehensible. … As a family lawyer with over 25 years of experience, I give this book the highest recommendation."

-Linda Fidnick, J.D., Past President, Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

"A Comprehensive Guide to Child Custody Evaluations: Mental Health and Legal Perspectives is true to its title. Dr. Rohrbaugh gives us a concise and comprehensive overview of the components and issues that comprise a custody evaluation, from the beginning state of identification of the questions to be evaluated to the disposition of the report. This book will be found on the desks of an interdisciplinary group of judges, lawyers, mental health professionals and court personnel."

-Robin M. Deutsch, Ph.D., Director of Forensic Services, Children and the Law Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital

"Dr. Rohrbaugh has integrated a great deal of scientific, clinical, and legal information to produce a book that has depth and breadth, and is a ‘good read’ to boot."

-Robert Zibbell, Ph.D., Forensic Psychologist, Founder, Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem

"Throughout this careful and comprehensive consideration of child custody evaluations, Dr. Rohrbaugh’s priority is to provide the forensic evaluator with a user friendly methodology that incorporates thorough, clinical, observational, and collateral data collection that can guide professionals and families during a highly emotional and difficult transition in family life."

-Sharon Gordetsky, Ph.D., Past President, Massachusetts Psychological Association, Assistant Prof. of Pediatrics, Tufts New England Medical Center

"This book discusses all of the aspects of child custody evaluations, using an interdisciplinary approach to help readers understand the perspectives and needs of mental health professionals, judges, and attorneys. … Graduate students in clinical psychology and law students who will be pursuing careers in these fields (forensic psychology, family law) would also benefit greatly. … this is a truly comprehensive guide. It is an invaluable resource in the field, written by a trauma expert … ." (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody’s Review Service, October, 2008)

"Everything you need to know as a custody evaluator can be found here. … will be a helpful reminder to both legal and mental health practitioners. … I have no hesitation in saying that this work will be a valuable resource in every family law professional’s library." (Arline S. Rotman, American Psychology-Law Society, Vol. 29 (1), Winter 2009)

Joanna Bunker Rohrbaugh, Ph.D. is a trauma specialist who has been on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School for over twenty years, and is a clinical supervisor for the Victims of Violence and other outpatient programs at Cambridge Hospital. She holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Personality and Developmental Psychology from Harvard University. Dr. Rohrbaugh has a private forensic psychology practice in Cambridge, MA, where she does child custody evaluations, parenting/bonding evaluations, and forensic consultation, and also serves as a child expert and a divorce coach in collaborative law cases.

Dr. Rohrbaugh is a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and a former board member of the Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem (MAGAL). Her family forensic experience includes Custody and Visitation, Care and Protection, Adoption, Child Estrangement/Alienation, Domestic Violence, Sexual Orientation, Physical Abuse of Child, PTSD, Sexual Abuse of Children, Substance Abuse, Removal, and Termination of Parental Rights.