2015 NSBA Annual Meeting
Family Law Section Seminar
Psychology 101 and The Role of Psychologists Across
Nebraska in Child Custody Cases
Lisa Blankenau, Glenda Cottam, Dr. Ted DeLaet, Anne Talbot,
Philip B. Katz, moderator
Glenda L Cottam, PhD, JD completed her undergraduate training at Pennsylvania State University and received her doctoral degree in psychology from the University of
Mississippi. She completed a residency in clinical psychology at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center and after finishing active duty service at Ehrling Bergquist USAF hospital, she served as a rehabilitation psychologist for Immanuel Medical Center. Dr. Cottam has been in the private practice of clinical psychology in the Omaha area since 1989. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Nebraska Psychological Association, the National Register of Health Service Providers and has additionally been certified by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. She is also a member of the International and Nebraska Academies of Collaborative Professionals, and the Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators. Dr. Cottam received her Juris Doctor degree from the Creighton University School of Law and is a licensed attorney. She has completed advanced training in mediation and is a trainer in high conflict resolution. She is a member of the American Bar
Association, Nebraska Bar association, the National Association of Counsel for Children and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Dr. Cottam is a Nebraska State Court approved Parenting Act Mediator.
Anne Talbot, Psy.D. is a native of England and the founding member of Options in Psychology, LLC . She is a licensed psychologist with a specialty in neuropsychology and a broad range of clinical experience working with adults, adolescents and children. Dr. Talbot a Bachelor of Science from Boston College Magna Cum Laude, a Master of Science from the University of Colorado, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. She has a broad range of experience working in a variety of medical and mental health settings both as a clinician and an administrator in Boston, Denver and Boulder, Colorado and New York. She moved to Colorado in 1981 where she earned a Master of Science from the University of Colorado. Dr. Talbot has been in practice in Scottsbluff, Nebraska since 1986 when she began work in outpatient
psychotherapy as a clinical specialist in psychiatric mental health nursing. She later earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver School of Professional Psychology and completed an internship in Clinical Psychology at the Denver Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in 1996 followed by two years of post graduate training and supervision in neuropsychology.
Lisa R. Blankenau, Ph.D. is a psychologist and has been in private practice in Lincoln, NE for 20 years. She conducts individual, family and marital counseling. She started doing custody evaluations in 1995 and has completed over 80 court-ordered
evaluations. She has given presentations at the NE Judicial Educational Conference in Oct., 2012, the National Conference for the American Psychological Association in Toronto, 1993 and in Los Angeles in 1995, as well as regional conferences in Iowa and Missouri. She teaches courses in marriage enrichment at her church. She is married and has three sons and a daughter-in-law.
Department at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and has previously taught on a part-time basis at the University of Nebraska. Dr. DeLaet has a general psychological practice working with a variety of age ranges from children through the elderly. He provides counseling/psychotherapy, psychological assessments, forensic risk assessments, neuropsychological screenings, parenting evaluations, and custody evaluations. He has recently become certified in mediation through the Nebraska
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Psychology 101
for
Family Law Attorneys
By Theodore J. DeLaet, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist ted.delaet@wcpp.omhcoxmail.com 10/7/20 15 Nebraska State Bar Association, Family Law Section
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. How psychologists can assist in family law cases. 2. Know the difference between a clinical and forensic
psychological evaluation.
3. Know the different types of forensic psychological
evaluations available.
4. The importance of developing psycholegal questions to
guide the examiner.
5. Understanding mental health and substance use
disorders: diagnoses, traits, and characteristics
6. Understand what “Court-involved therapy” is.
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Roles Psychologists May Play in
Family Law Cases
Evaluator
Therapist
Consultant
Mediator
10/7/2015 Nebraska State Bar Association, Family Law Section
Evaluations: Clinical vs. Forensic
Clinical Evaluations
Purposes:
Diagnosis/Level of Impairment Treatment Planning
Level of Care Placement Methods:
Social History
Mental Status Examination Diagnostic Interview Psychological Testing
Cognitive
Personality, Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders
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Evaluations: Clinical vs. Forensic,
Continued
Limits of a Clinical Evaluation
Diagnosis of single individual
Treatment Planning of a single individual
Level of Care Placement (rare in family law matters)
Diagnosis alone doesn’t determine treatment intensity,
etc.
Role of Functional Impairment
10/7/2015 Nebraska State Bar Association, Family Law Section
Evaluations: Clinical vs. Forensic,
Continued
Purpose of a Forensic Evaluations is to answer psycholegal
questions of court and the attorneys involved in the case
Legal custody
Parenting time/physical custody Dangerousness risk
Parenting capacity/risk Judgment
Mental Health Stability, to include Substance Use Family Dynamics
Competency
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Family Law Forensic Psychological
Evaluation Types
Evaluation of a single parent (clinical and possibly
parenting risk).
Evaluation of both parents (clinical and possibly parenting
risk).
Evaluation of child(ren) (clinical only)
Custody Evaluation (forensic to answer psycholegal
questions regarding physical and legal custody, family relationships, etc.)
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Role of Mental Disorders in Forensic
Psychological Evaluations
The diagnosis NEVER DETERMINES THE LEVEL OF
TREATMENT INTENSITY OR INTERVENTIONS
Functional Impairment is the key
Symptoms (e.g., sleep, appetite, suicidal thoughts,
behaviors, attitudes, etc.)
Role of mental disorder, to include substance use, in
parent’s capacity to perform parenting duties.
Role of treatment/management to reduce impairment in
either a parent’s or child’s functioning.
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Custody Evaluation
Guidelines and Limits
PURPOSE OF CUSTODY EVALUATION IS NOT TO DIAGNOSE Critical role of record review
PURPOSE is to identify and describe traits and
characteristics of personality relevant to personal functioning and family relationships.
PURPOSE is to identify and describe symptoms and
impairments impacting parent functioning and family relationships.
Who diagnoses (e.g., not the custody evaluator)?
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Custody Evaluation
Guidelines and Limits, Continued
If custody evaluator suspects undiagnosed or misdiagnosed
mental disorders of any form, recommend referral for diagnosis and treatment. A custody evaluation is not designed to develop treatment plans for an individual.
Role of treatment adherence, amenability to treatment,
understanding of treatment plan, etc.
Treatment response
Family relationship problems are not covered well in the
DSM-5 or soon-to-be utilized ICD-10 diagnostic codes
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High Probability Mental Disorders in
High Conflict Families
If there is elevated risk of having the disorder, assessment
seems logical to see if it exists and any related impairments in daily functioning.
High Probability Diagnoses include, but not limited to:
Substance use
Mood Disorder (Depression, Bipolar Disorder, etc.) Trauma
Personality Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Behavior Disorders in Children
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Court-Involved Therapy Guidelines
This writer is a member of the Association of Family and
Conciliation Courts (AFCC).
AFCC developed practice guidelines for Court-Involved
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In Conclusion
Important to what is in the best interest of the child(ren)
for mental health providers and attorneys to be able to work together.
Elevated risk for conflict. Need a mix of support,
education, role modeling to parents and children, and often treatment to address divorce/custody-related matters.
Role of forensic psychological assessment to better
understand the psycholegal questions of the court
Limited role of traditional clinical assessment or therapy
