Civil Forensic Assessment

Abstract

Abstract Conducting psychological testing in child custody evaluations (CCEs) requires evaluators to understand not only the psychometric properties and interpretive strategies of tests but also the unique context in which it occurs. This chapter addresses when psychological testing is needed in CCEs and when it is not, as well as how to choose tests to use in CCEs for children and their parents. Understanding that results from tests provide hypotheses about a person is a critical component of testing. Self-report instruments and performance-based assessments appropriate for use in CCEs are reviewed. Furthermore, the necessity to tie test results to parenting behaviors and its impact on children is discussed, as well as report writing strategies and how to present results when testifying.