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 wonder how much the tests influence the final custody arrangements. Psychologists explain that tests are only a portion of the whole evaluation. They also take into consideration other factors like observation, teachers, parent-child interaction, family interviews, and any other information from parties close to the family that might be pertinent.
If one of the parents gets an unfavorable evaluation, they want to know what comes next. The lawyers explain that they contact the psychologist to discuss the findings prior to the filing of the report. They want to know in advance whether the news is good or bad. When it's not favorable, the lawyer only has a couple of options. An new expert may be requested. The judge is likely to this down though, because courts do not like children being evaluated multiple times.
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 ask what happens when both sides hire their own evaluators. The psychologists and lawyers say this is not an unusual situation. In most cases, the two psychologists come up with approximately the same conclusions. Rarely does one side extol the virtues of one parent over the other.
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.
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 wonder how much the tests influence the final custody arrangements. Psychologists explain that tests are only a portion of the whole evaluation. They also take into consideration other factors like observation, teachers, parent-child interaction, family interviews, and any other information from parties close to the family that might be pertinent.
If one of the parents gets an unfavorable evaluation, they want to know what comes next. The lawyers explain that they contact the psychologist to discuss the findings prior to the filing of the report. They want to know in advance whether the news is good or bad. When it's not favorable, the lawyer only has a couple of options. An new expert may be requested. The judge is likely to this down though, because courts do not like children being evaluated multiple times.
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 ask what happens when both sides hire their own evaluators. The psychologists and lawyers say this is not an unusual situation. In most cases, the two psychologists come up with approximately the same conclusions. Rarely does one side extol the virtues of one parent over the other.
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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