It’s not always possible for divorce proceedings involving children to go smoothly. During certain child custody proceedings in New Jersey, the court might request assistance from a forensic psychologist. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at three ways forensic psychologists can provide help during child custody cases.
Speaking with children
An important goal of child custody cases is to do what’s best for the child involved in this situation. Because of that, forensic psychologists conduct interviews with children when parents aren’t being cooperative with each other. During these discussions, forensic psychologists typically use a combination of evaluative and investigatory techniques.
Interviewing parents
It’s also possible for a judge to request that a child’s parents receive psychological tests instead of the children they share. If that’s the case, a forensic psychologist administers assessments for the parents to take. The two main goals of these assessments are to find out more about each party’s overall psychological health and mental stability.
Helping parents create a co-parenting plan
One key to success after a divorce that involves children is to develop a co-parenting plan. However, this plan might not be easy to form when two divorcing adults aren’t getting along. Fortunately, a forensic psychologist can sometimes step in and help parents create a co-parenting plan that works well for all parties involved. In some cases, a good co-parenting plan can make post-divorce easier for parents and their children.
In closing, forensic psychologists perform many important duties throughout child custody cases. By completing interviews and tests, these psychologists can learn how everyone in a family is doing. If these evaluations go well, they can put a stop to time-consuming litigation.