CUSTODY EVALUATIONS - A SURVEY OF MENTAL-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Mental health professionals who conduct custody evaluations (N=165, 61 % return rate) were surveyed about their practices and attitudes. Thes e experts were primarily licensed psychologists, most with degrees in clinical and counseling. Few had specific training in child custody or forensic evaluation, and although they averaged 8.1 evaluations over the last year, most devoted a modest portion of their practice to cust ody work. They generally regarded custody evaluations as valuable to t he courts, but were critical of the adversarial approach to determinin g custody. Procedures and priorities have changed little over the past decade, with most experts relying heavily on interviews and observati on. Cautions are given regarding overstepping ethical guidelines and u sing procedures that presently lack established validity. (C) 1998 Joh n Wiley & Sons, Ltd.