The Art and Science of Child Custody Evaluations

Henry Montero, LMHC, CASAC-2, CTTS

Alquimedez Mental Health Counseling
1154 E. Tremont Ave Bronx, NY 10460-2452
Tel: 718-664-7679
www.alquimedez.com
Email: info@alquimedez.com
Twitter: @henmontero
Instagram: alquimedezmentalhealth

It is a harsh reality of life that some relationships end up in disarray and the entire family is scarred. While the husband and wife may conflict, it is the children who often pay a high price. Of course, if the spouses are embroiled in divorce proceedings, then the mother and father may also be in a heated custody battle.

Variables
If a family is facing a seismic shift in their structure and circumstances bring them to the court of law, then they are exposed to several determinants regarding the custody of their children. Besides gaining custody, there are other aspects that must be taken into account such as financial support, maintenance or alimony, relocation (where applicable), visitation and in severe cases, complete termination of parental rights for one party.

There are several disputes and disagreements that can transpire as the custody battle rages on. There may be legitimate disputes over making the critical decisions in the child’s life moving forward, taking care of the child and access as well.

Child custody evaluations are designed to augment proficiency when it comes to the offspring. If set guidelines are followed, it allows a seamless transition and the flow of proceedings are not infused with friction.

A narrower focus enables those involved to distinguish between the forensic evaluations of a case and the assessments that psychologists assigned to the case may provide. The latter is an essential part of divorce proceedings as well since all parties involved, i.e., the mother, father, and children may need psychotherapy and counseling as part of their rehabilitation during and in the aftermath of divorce.

As part of the proceedings, both sets of parents have various resources at their disposal. In addition to the psychotherapy above and counseling services, they can avail consultation and mediation if need be. These are all prerequisites of resolving a conflict.

At the advent of any agreement regarding custody of the children, there may be no dispute left for the court to decide. Only in cases where parties fail to strike an agreement, the court must intervene in a bid to assign decision making, caretaking and access for the children.

Courts take the best interest of the child as the primary objective when they make decisions. This is the best course of action all things considered. This results in a legitimate restructuring of rights and the prerogatives of the children are changed.

In different states of America, child custody evaluations go by many other names like parenting plan and parental rights. However, the vast majority of courts across the country still refer to the phenomenon as child custody.

Additionally, there are other complications involved which may arise in some cases. For example, some couples may not be married at all, which is very likely to make the case more convoluted. Another example could be the same-sex couple, in which case precedents may be hard to find before decisions can be made.