Divorced Mothers
Much has been written about divorced mothers and their relationships with their children. Mothers, according to many authors, receive primary parenting responsibilities and physical custody of the children far more often than fathers. As a result, much of the research has focused upon mothers and their parenting, adjustment, and lifestyle changes. Sometimes it is easy to see the problems divorced mothers experience as based solely on them, their coping, and their responses. Keep in mind when you... more
Divorced Fathers
Divorced fathers face a heavy maternal preference in the courts. This is based on the “tender years” presumption that younger children need to be in the care of their mothers, and that fathers were not able to provide the same level of care. Although this sexist legal precedent has been removed from the law books, it still dominates judges’ minds. Jeffrey Leving, in his book, Father’s Rights, indicates that 85% of cases today include the mother being awarded physical custody... more
When Divorce Is Inevitable
McKay and his colleagues wrote The Divorce Book: A Practical and Compassionate Guide. While a little dated, this is an excellent book discussing the steps of divorce, the dangers at each step for the adults involved, and ways to cope. Stages of Divorce Stage One – Separation Shock After partners separate and have time away from each other, they may feel numbed, panicked, or depressed, and may try to deny what has happened. However, research supports that by the time most people reach this... more
Children of Divorce and Adjustment
Effect on Children There’s a lot of research out these days on children of divorce after they grow up. However, if you review some of the key research published regarding adjustment of children during and soon after a divorce, you’ll find a lot of confusion. Some of it stems from the confusion that occurs between the child’s age at the divorce and the child’s age when problems develop. A child at age 12 who experienced his parents’ divorce at age six is different... more
Consequences of Parental Divorce
Consequences of Parental Divorce and Marital Unhappiness for Adult Well-Being Article by Amato and Booth The Marriage and Divorce of the Children of Divorce Article by Glenn and KramerReview by Richard Niolon These two articles were published in the journal Family Therapy. They provide a nice review of the main ideas about how divorce “spreads” from one generation to the next by reviewing some of the key research published to date. For example: Cox and Cox (1985) found that boys of... more
Therapy – Ethical Standard 10
Read the APA Ethics Code – Standard 10 Suggested Readings Services by Telephone, Teleconferencing, and InternetYour Rights as a Psychotherapy Client What I tell people about therapy Useful Notes Illinois Law on therapy15/3 (f) Duly recognized members of any bona fide religious denomination shall not be restricted from functioning in their ministerial capacity provided they do not represent themselves as being clinical psychologists or providing clinical psychological services. 15/3... more
Assessment- Ethical Standard 9
Read the APA Ethics Code – Standard 9 Suggested Readings Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce ProceedingsTesting and Assessment from APASpecialty Guidelines for Forensic PsychologistsFrom IPT, a selection of well-written and helpful articles Psychologists Who Make Unqualified Public Statements About Litigants Whom they Have Not Examined by Jack S. Annon Guidelines for Psychologists Who Receive a Subpoena for their Records by Jack S. Annon Misuse of Psychological Tests in... more
Research and Publication- Ethical Standard 8
Read the APA Ethics Code – Standard 8 Suggested Readings Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals Useful Notes Changes in Standard 8This section includes the addition that psychologists may in some research settings dispense with informed consent (e.g., anonymous questionnaires, naturalistic observation, or where consent is not required by law for example). It also protects psychologists who release data for others so they can verify findings from having their data... more
Education and Training – Ethical Standard 7
Read the APA Ethics Code – Standard 7 Suggested Readings The Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act for the State of Illinois Useful Notes Changes in Standard 7This section makes very clear that training programs requiring therapy or disclosure of sensitive personal information as part of the training process must take steps to protect students. Also made more explicit was the prohibition against sexual relationships by psychologists and the students and supervisees “in their department,... more
Record Keeping and Fees – Ethical Standard 6
Read the APA Ethics Code – Standard 6 Useful Notes Changes in Standard 6One clarifying point is that now the code explicitly says psychologists may not withhold records for non-payment in emergency cases, but leaves open that barring an emergency, a psychologist may do so. Bartering used to be something the code said psychologists did not ordinarily do, making it sound unethical most of the time. However, this was reworded to avoid this implication as it may be supportable. For example,... more
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