FAMILY ASSESSMENT IN CHILD CUSTODY DISPUTES

This paper has operationalized family systems theory to explicate the interfacing dynamics between family dissolution and child custody disputes. The authors suggest that clinical assessment and intervention in these matters which focus solely on individual and marital, or child dimensions, fail to recognize the powerful influences of systemic family process. A family assessment model, evolved from clinical work with over 200 court‐referred custody cases, is described. The model involves a cross‐sex therapy team with each member responsible for a specific family subsystem. The role of each therapist and the functioning of the team is outlined. Specific criteria for determining custody recommendations are identified based on patterns of family process and dissolution.