I recently co-authored an article with Dr. Madelyn Simring Milchman on interviewing children incident to divorce or any other legal proceeding. This procedure, to put it bluntly, can be a minefield. There are many issues to be aware of before embarking upon what many may view as a rather mundane task.
Let’s face it, most of us have children and occasionally speak to them. How difficult can it be, right? Wrong. When interviewing children incident to divorce, abuse allegations, or other related matters, whether it be by a judge or forensic expert, the interviewer must be aware of both the law and the psychological impact of the interview process, environment, questions and responses to answers. This article will outline the law as it pertains to interviewing children incident to divorce, and then address the psychological issues involved when interviewing children incident to divorce and related legal matters such as abuse allegations and termination of legal rights. See the full article here.