A unique family law resource, this book is written by a board-certified forensic psychologist with extensive experience in working with children, and an attorney who almost exclusively represents children in dependency court matters. Bringing this experience to the book, the authors focus on the real-world issues critical in working effectively with child clients in dependency and family court settings. The authors look at the psychological issues often represented in these cases, including trauma, child development, domestic violence, high-conflict separation and divorce, alienated or resistant children, and other special circumstances. They also look at the professional responsibilities involved, including ethical issues in representing children, risks of bias in your work, and recognizing the professional toll this work can take. Accessible equally to lawyers and related professionals with any level of experience, the authors conceptualize the role of the children’s representative and offer intriguing thoughts about how this role can—and must--evolve in the future. About the Authors: Rebecca M. Stahl is a lawyer for children at the Children’s Law Center of California in Los Angeles County, representing children in dependency cases. She was a Fulbright Scholar in New Zealand and during her Fulbright year earned a Master of Law degree from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where she studied the role of lawyers for children in family court cases. Philip M. Stahl, PhD, ABPP (Forensic), is a board-certified forensic psychologist in private practice in Maricopa County, Arizona. He conducts child custody evaluations and provides consultation and expert witness testimony throughout the United States, and conducts training programs at home and abroad fo attorneys, child custody evaluators, and others working with high-conflict families of divorce. |
