Parenting Plans: Meeting the Challenges with Facts and Analysis

(Paperback)

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Providing expert assistance for developing effective, high-quality parenting plans, this book covers a broad range of information that serves as both essential reference material and a hands-on toolbox for family lawyers and related professionals. Author Daniel J. Hynan, Ph.D., ABAP, considers everything from ongoing controversies to empirical research to practical yet crucial considerations in the day-to-day lives of families.

Accessible to professionals with all levels of experience in the area, this book integrates practical considerations about parenting plans with scientifically based and professional information. It begins by describing many of the controversies in the parenting plan arena, then provides a description of the foundation for building a good parenting plan.

Parenting Plans: Meeting the Challenges with Facts and Analysis provides important information to assist in creating age- and situation-appropriate plans. Topics include:

• An overview of scientific, factual information about what is important for children of separation and divorce
• Difficult parenting plan cases that raise issues about very young children, domestic violence, or other family conflict
• Questions or concerns about child mental health and/or special needs
• Dealing with parental mental health and related problems
• Cases that involve allegations of parental alienation or possible relocation
• Parenting plan concerns for gay and lesbian parents, as well as never married parents
• Child abuse and/or neglect
• Circumstantial factors and childrens ages and stages of development that need to be considered

Real family law cases often involve a combination of issues that cover several of these areas of concern. The book includes parenting plan case descriptions that include real-life complexities and related efforts to develop time-sharing calendars that promote what is best for the children.

Reviews

"In his book, Parenting Plans: Meeting the Challenges with Facts and Analysis, Dr. Daniel Hynan keenly observes how bias, confusion and misinformation often contaminate child custody matters. As a practicing lawyer and long- time observer of how family court judges wield King Solomon's sword, I welcome Dr. Hynan's clinical insights and the science he brings to this emotional subject. The information is particularly timely considering the national debate on the propriety of shared child custody. I will never approach another child placement matter without this well researched reference book in hand. It should be a regular resource for lawyers, child representatives and family court judges everywhere."--Steven N. Peskind, Attorney, Peskind Law Firm, St. Charles, Illinois
"The highest praises an expert evaluator can hear are that their work is balanced, nuanced, and thorough. This book earns these descriptors! Hynan organizes around the parenting plan task and demonstrates how social policy and scientific research inform decisions about the numerous practical problems evaluators face. Hynan has the ability to navigate complex issues that complicate cases and the acumen to systematically view things individually, when necessary, or in combination, when reality requires it. This book provides extraordinary insight into the evaluator's conceptual tools and the analytic processes the best experts must master. Invaluable as a guide and reference book for those who are (or wish to be) sophisticated evaluators!"--Milfred D. Dale, Ph.D., J.D., Family Law Attorney and Psychologist, Topeka, KS
"Too often, lawyers, judges, and mental health experts approach parenting plans as a routine, cookie-cutter exercise--either every other weekend or 50/50. In his new ABA-published book, Parenting Plans: Meeting the Challenges with Facts and Analysis, Dr. Daniel Hynan charts a more sensible approach. Drawing from psychology's literature, his expertise in the interview and testing elements of child custody evaluations, and his broad experience working with children and families of divorce, Dr. Hynan shows how to craft workable schedules that can meet children's needs and help families move forward after the case ends. Parenting Plans fairly discusses the psychological literature of several key, often contentious, issues that complicate cases. Summary points at the end of each chapter provide a convenient synopsis of the chapter's key issues and useful tools to sharpen deposition or examination questions of experts. And the book's last chapter discusses, with examples and calendars, the rationales of various age-appropriate parenting plans that lawyers and judges may consider. Whether your case is in litigation, mediation, or settlement talks, Parenting Plans is a valuable resource for lawyers and judges when they consider parenting schedules that will meet the children's best interests. Get it."--John A. Zervopoulos, Ph.D., JD, ABPP, PsychologyLaw Partners, Dallas, Texas

Author Bio

Daniel J. Hynan, PhD, ABAP, is a clinical and forensic psychologistin independent practice. For decades, he has had a specialty inworking with children and families of divorce. He has extensive experienceconducting evaluations of parenting time, decision making,child custody, visitation, relocation, and individual functioning relevantto parenting. He also carries out work product reviews and trialconsultations. Soon after he began to specialize in work with children of divorcein the early 1990s, he recognized the need to increase the scientificfoundations of evaluations and integrate such knowledge withprofessional practice principles. Consequently, he wrote the firstpeer-reviewedjournal article on interviewing children in custody evaluations. Not long afterward, he wrote the first peer-reviewed journalarticle on observing parentchild interactions within the context ofsuch evaluations. Also, he wrote the first such journal article on childphysical health and safety in custody evaluations.As an outgrowth of Dr. Hynans combined focus on professionalpractice and scientific knowledge, he identified that a psychologicaltest used by a significant proportion of custody evaluators had a genderbias. He published an article in a prominent journal describing thatgender bias and how it could have a very negative impact on womenundergoing custody evaluations. Afterward, the test publisher changedaspects of the test construction and eliminated the gender bias. Dr. Hynans work has focused on advancing the field in otherways, also. For example, his article on others research regardingovernight visits for young children helped to shed light on the importanceof prior patterns of parentchild and interparental relationships.