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10 Va. J. Soc. Pol'y & L. 129 (2002-2003)
Psychological and Legal Interventions for Parents and Children in Custody and Access Disputes: Current Research and Practice

handle is hein.journals/vajsplw10 and id is 139 raw text is: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND LEGAL INTERVENTIONS FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN IN CUSTODY AND ACCESS DISPUTES: CURRENT RESEARCH AND PRACTICE Joan B. Kelly* INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, extensive research on family and divorce issues has provided a more complex understanding about the sources of children's adjustment problems, during marriage and after divorce. This research, combined with the widespread societal concern regarding the impact of divorce and adversarial proceedings on children's adjustment, has influenced the development of educational, psychological, and legal interventions designed to reduce the impact of separation and divorce on children and their parents. Less extensive empirical research has been conducted on these interventions over the past decade, and has provided constructive information to promote a broader scale adaptation and implementation of these interventions. Together, the empirical findings on children's adjustment and the current research on divorce-related interventions could have widespread implications for state and national policy formation, legal practice, and agency and court-sponsored interventions. This article will first summarize the current view regarding the impact of divorce and separation on children and parents, followed by a description of educational, psychological and legal interventions developed to reduce the negative effects of separation and divorce on families. The article will then explore empirical research investigating the impact of these interventions, and will specifically consider divorce education programs, custody mediation, arbitration, and group programs for chronic high conflict parents. The final section of the paper will * Clinical psychologist, researcher, consultant, and mediator in Corte Madera, CA, who was the former Executive Director of the Northern California Mediation Center from 1981-1999. Dr. Kelly is also the co-author of Surviving the Breakup: How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce.