Glencairn - Child Custody

Healthy Hint #1:

"Traditional intrapsychic assessment tools cannot determine whether you are a good or bad parent."

Healthy Hint #2:

"Evaluation methods that relay on character assignation often fail to produce the desired result and destroy potential for two-family harmony after divorce."

Dr. Smith

Systemic Child Custody Evaluations

Since being a child custody evaluator is one of the most demanding jobs in society, particular competencies and knowledge are necessary for any professional who works with child custody issues. Family therapists are in a unique position to make a significant contribution in this area based on their training and experience in human development and family systems. This is a kinder, gentler approach to the often conflictual, mental health defiencies approach commonly used in child custody cases and can increase the fairness of the decisions the court must make while helping the entire family find balance.

As an experienced family and child therapist and evaluator, Dr. Smith has the following special competencies in conducting comprehensive child custody evaluations:

Child development
Family dynamics
Child and adult psychopathology and psychotherapy
Effective parenting techniques
Effects of divorce and remarriage on children
Typical custody and visitation arrangements and applicable Kentucky statutes
Ethical standards
Educational issues
Working with special populations including developmental delays
Parental estrangement and alienation
High conflict divorce and long lasting custody disputes

Dr. Smith has integrated training using the systemic Bricklin approach with her experience working with families and children to develope her own evaluation protocol. The main consideration is to assess the individual and family factors that affect the best interests of the child fairly. Dr. Smith has a great deal of experience being impartial regardless of whether she is retained by the court or by a party to the proceedings. Parents competing for custody may have legitimate concerns about each other but the child's best interests must be the first priority. An honest recommendation for the child and family is the same regardless of who has made the request or is paying the bill.

Custody evaluations may be requested by:

Parents
Attorneys
Judges
Other mental health professionals

Dr. Smith uses many of Dr. Bricklin's assessment tools in her evaluation protocols, depending on the particular needs of the family.

Some tests and methods used by Dr. Smith including Dr. Bricklin's research-based child custody tests include:

The Bricklin Perceptual Scales
Perception of Relationships Test
Parent Awareness Skills Survey
Parent Perception of Child Profile
Child Access to Parental Strengths
Assessment of Parenting Skills
Child drawings
Family systems observations
Child sex abuse protocol
Collateral source interviews

Other custody related roles Dr. Smith can perform:

Second opinion/critiquing other's reports
Child sex abuse evaluations and false accusations as part of child custody proceedings
Research specific issues (e.g. time share and breast feeding)
Monitor or supervise visitation
Teacher of parenting skills
Parent coordination