Bud Dale Discusses Child Custody Evaluations
Dr. Bud Dale, a clinical psychologist who trained at Harvard Medical School and the Menninger Foundation where he worked for eight years, met with family law students over lunch on February 28, 2005 to discuss the use of child custody evaluations in contested custody cases.
Dale explained how attorneys who represent parent clients can work with the custody evaluator. Rather than trying to discredit or attack the evaluation once it is completed, the better approach is for lawyers to prepare their clients for the evaluation and help frame the scope of the examination.
Dale also distinguished between the forensic and clinical models of evaluation. He further illustrated the differences between the role of the custody evaluator and that of the therapist, parent coordinator, or case manager.
