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Answers To Common Questions Regarding Psychological Testing Child Custody Hearings Require

By Scott Wright


Not all couples can separate their differences from the best interests of their children when they are in the middle of a divorce. Accusations may fly back and forth until it takes a court intervention and the evaluation of professionals to sort out the truth. When one or both parent's ability to care for the children is being evaluated, both sides need to be informed about the psychological testing child custody judges order.

Parents question why they are being evaluated. When parents are making accusations about one another's parenting skills, a judge will bring in a mental health professional to evaluate how well the individuals are functioning. The court will want to know whether the parents are capable of sharing responsibilities regarding the children, or if the children need to have one adult appointed the primary caregiver. Judges want to ensure the children are safe.

Parents often question how important the psychological tests are in deciding custodial arrangements. Most psychologists will say that the tests are just a part of what they look at when making their evaluations. They also base their findings on observation, interviews, parent-child interaction, teachers, and others who might be able to shed light on the family dynamic.

A common question involves what happens if a parent receives an unfavorable assessment during this process. Lawyers say they want to talk to the psychologist about the findings, whether good or bad, prior to the writing of the report. If the news is not good, the lawyer has limited options. Another expert can be requested, but judges do not generally like to keep questioning the children in these cases.

When an evaluation shows that the parents, while not perfect, are not eminent threats to their kids, parents want to know if a compromise can be worked out. Psychologists take the position that family evaluations take months to complete and are comprehensive. If they find something outside their expertise, they contact another expert who has expertise in that particular area. The report doesn't change.

Couples may want to know if they can hire their own evaluators. Both the lawyers and the psychologists say they see this all the time. Normally, both psychologists come to the same basic conclusions. It is rare for an evaluator to be one sided or show a preference for the person who did the hiring.

Some parents want to know if children can be compelled to visit an alienated parent. The answer to this question depends on the circumstances. In most cases, judges don't like to try and force children to spend time with the alienated parent because it tends to make the situation worse. In a case where one parent is not cooperating with visitation, the court may decide to intervene before that situation worsens.

Divorce is hard, no matter how amicable it may be. It is always in everyone's best interest to work out custody arrangements privately. When the parents are at each other's throats, the courts will step in and take control. This should not be anybody's first choice.




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