Domestic Abuse, Child Custody, and Visitation: Winning in Family Court

When domestic abuse and children are involved, divorce and custody can be the epitome of high-stakes conflict and frustration and all too frequently protective parents lose custody of their child to a named abuser. Domestic Abuse, Child Custody, and Visitation helps mental health professionals, attorneys, and lay readers navigate the judicial process so that decisions are truly made in the best interest of children. The text reveals how all the puzzle pieces of the judicial process fit together - judges, attorneys, mental health experts, children, spouses - and how to overcome many of the obstacles they will confront along the way. This runs the gamut, from the selelection of a lawyer and experts, to setting necessary groundwork for an appeal. Domestic Abuse, Child Custody, and Visitation is an essential read for mental health professionals and lay people involved in divorce and custody, family court judges, family law attorneys, and mental health professionals involved in domestic abuse and custody matters.

Preface Introduction 1. A Great Judicial Fallacy 2. Defining The Problem - Representing a Battered Woman in Divorce 3. Memory 4. Language is Important to Victims 5. Understanding The Impact of Violence on Children 6. The Attorney-Client Interview: Its importance and implications 7. Pleading The Case 8. The Litigation Continued 9. Using and Choosing Experts 10. Developing Strategies 11. Family Courts Must Demand Science 12. The "Best Interest" Standard vs. Standard to Assure Child Safety 13. The Intersection of Forensic Opinion and Therapist Testimony 14. Custody Evaluations, Therapy Child Protection and Ethics 15. Mental Health Professionals Take Risks When Evaluating Children 16. Domestic Abuse and Child Protection: Is What We Are Doing Working? 17. Conclusion: An Open Letter to a Young Lawyer: A Critical Look at the Child Custody System and What Every Mental Health Person Should know about Lawyers 18. Kids Grow Up References and Suggested Readings Index