A Handbook of Divorce and Custody

"This book is must reading for everyone - mental health professionals, attorneys, judges, policy makers - committed to understanding the psychology of child custody. It is unique in that the contributors share a clear focus on the central issues of child custody: the child's experiences and their role in the child's development. It includes succinct summaries of decades of work by many of the leaders in child custody research as well as insightful clinical discussions. Read it and come away with a clear picture of this rapidly developing field." - Robert M. Galatzer-Levy, M.D., Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Chicago "A Handbook of Divorce and Custody: Forensic, Developmental, and Clinical Perspectives is a wonderful contribution to the literature dealing with the intersection of the courts, family law, and mental health issues. It serves as a vibrant reminder of how much psychodynamic and particularly psychoanalytic perspectives and insights have to offer those who work at these crossroads. I am particularly impressed with the breadth of the contributions to the volume. The chapters touch on practically every concern that one might encounter in thinking about how courts, parents, and children interact and the consequences of those interactions." - Jesse A. Goldner, Professor of Law, Center for Health Law Studies, St. Louis University This book is an excellent resource that I highly recommend as a guide to help your patients navigate their way through the storm and stress of divorce. - Kathleen Hushion, CSW, NMCOP Newsletter "The insights and information proffered by this excellent road map tracing the evolution of research-centered as well as clinically directed advances germane to mental health and family law, should be most gratifying and edifying to researchers and practitioners in these interjoined fields, including psychologists, psychiatrists, lawyers, social workers, and judges." Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Linda Gunsberg, Ph.D., is Chair, Family Forensics Training Program, Washington Square Institute for Psychotherapy and Mental Health, New York, and Co-chair, Psychoanalysis and the Law Discussion Group, American Psychoanalytic Association. Paul Hymowitz, Ph.D., is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, and Co-chair, Interdisciplinary Forum on Mental Health and Family Law.

Part I: The Courtroom: A Multidisciplinary Collaboration.Gunsberg, Interlude I. Tumas, What Judges Want (and Children Dream). Dobrish, A Lawyer's Considerations in Selecting a Mental Health Expert. Grant, Klee, Representation of the Child to the Court: The Law Guardian and Guardian ad Litem. Schaul, Considering Custody Evaluations: The Thrills and the Chills. Wulach, Shapiro, Ethical and Legal Considerations in Child Custody Evaluations. Part II: Parental Psychopathology and Its Impact on the Child.Hymowitz, Interlude II. Siegler, Home Is Where the Hurt Is: Developmental Consequences of Domestic Conflict and Violence on Children and Adolescents. Novick, Novick, Soul Blindness: A Child Must Be Seen to Be Heard. Gunsberg, Betrayal of the Family: The Parental Affair as Family Incest. Shopper, Parental Alienation: The Creation of a False Reality. Part III: Parents' Rights and Responsibilities.Hymowitz, Interlude III. Guggenheim, When Should Courts Be Empowered to Make Child-Rearing Decisions? Solnit, Nordhaus, Divorce and Custody in a Changing Society. Klein, The Rights of Parents and Stepparents: Toward a Redefinition of Parental Rights and Obligations. Silverman, When the State Has Custody: The Fragile Bond of Mothers and Their Infants on the Prison Nursery. Galietta, When Families Cannot Be Healed: The Limits of Parental Rights. Part IV: The Forensic Expert's Challenge: Making Recommendations in the Best Interests of Children.Gunsberg, Interlude IV. Gunsberg, The Developmental Evolution of the Family Forensic Evaluation. Bricklin, Elliot, Empirically Assisted Assessment of Family Systems. Schwager, Parents' Sensitivity to the Child's Creative and Spiritual Core: An Overlooked Consideration in Child Custody Determinations. Cling, Evaluation of Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Child Custody Disputes. Part V: The Dilemma of Visitation.Hymowitz, Interlude V. Dember, Fliman, Tailoring Parental Visitation Orders to the Developmental Needs of Children of Divorce. Solomon, An Attachment Theory Framework for Planning Infant and Toddler Visitation Arrangements in Never-Married, Separated, and Divorced Families. Hauser, Visitation in High-Conflict Families: The Impact on a Child's Inner Life. Tuckman, Supervised Visitation: Preserving the Rights of Children and Their Parents. Hymowitz, Relocation: Parents' Needs, Children's Interests. Part VI: Aftermath and Healing.Gunsberg, Interlude VI. Tessman, Experiencing the Absent Father: In Sight and Inside. Siskind, Psychotherapy with Children and Parents During Divorce. Johnston, Clinical Work with Parents in Entrenched Custody Disputes. Wallerstein, Resnikoff, Parental Divorce and Developmental Progression: An Inquiry into Their Relationship. Gunsberg, Epilogue.