Handbook of Child Custody

Mark L. Goldstein is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois since 1976.  Dr. Goldstein received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1976 and has been director of a group practice since 1981, with offices in Buffalo Grove, Northbrook and Hinsdale, Illinois.  In addition to his private practice in child custody, child abuse, and other forensic evaluations, he provides counseling services to children, adolescents and families.  He is also a consultant to several suburban school systems.  In addition, he has served as a professor and/or adjunct professor at several institutions including the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Roosevelt University, the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Goldstein has conducted approximately 1200 custody evaluations and testified almost 100 times in Champaign, Cook, DuPage, Grundy, McHenry, Kane, Lake and Will counties, as well as in several other states.  He is on the approved list of custody evaluators in a number of Chicago area counties.  In addition, he served on the child custody committee of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, as well as the Psychology board of the American College of Forensic Examiners.  He is also a diplomate of the Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators, and editorial board member of the American Journal of Forensic Psychology. He has presented numerous workshops, papers and lectures at both national and international conferences, and has several publications on child custody, particularly in the areas of relocation and parental alienation.  Furthermore, Dr. Goldstein is the co-author of Chronic Disorders in Children and Adolescents (Springer, 2011) and Aging and Chronic Disorders (Springer, 2007). He is also co-editor of the Handbook of Forensic Sociology and Psychology (Springer, 2013).

Part I: Professional Issues.- Ethical Issues in Child Custody Evaluations.- Best Interest Factors in Child Custody Evaluations.- A Judicial Perspective on Child Custody Evaluations.- Part II: Interviewing/Observation.- Interviewing Parents Involved in Child Custody Evaluations.- Interviewing Children and Adolescents in Child Custody Cases.- Observing Parents Interact with Children: All Too Infrequently Asked Questions (and Answers).- Uses of Collateral Sources of Information in Forensic Child Custody Examinations.- Part III: Psychological Assessment.- Current and New Developments in Psychological Testing for Child Custody Disputes.- Projective Personality Assessment in Child Custody Evaluations.- Supplemental Parenting Inventories used in Custody Evaluations.- Empirically Assisted Assessment of Family Systems: The Bricklin Scales.- Alcohol/drug Abuse Issues in Child Custody Evaluations.- Assessment of Mental Disorders in Custody Evaluations.- How to Assess for Domestic Violence.- Evaluating Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Disputes.- Part IV: Specialized Issues.- Child Custody Evaluations in Cases where Parental Alienation is Alleged.- Relocation Evaluations in Child Custody Disputes.- Impact of Conflicted Child Custody on School, Behavioral, and Social Outcomes: An Ecological Approach.- A Methodology Primer for Conducting Bonding Studies in Child Custody Evaluations: Integration with Neuroscience.- Cults, Extremist Movements and the Child Custody Evaluation: Pitfalls and Strategies.- Family therapy with Families in Intractable Conflicts about Child Custody and Visitation.- Part V: Case Studies and Psychological Reports.