In the articles below, forensic interview and custody evaluation specialist Daniel H. Swerdlow-Freed, Ph. D. discusses a variety of topics, including sexual abuse of children, parental alienation, and the roles played by jurors, psychologists, children, and parents in family and criminal law litigation.
Child Custody Articles
In cases of child custody disputes, courts must decide what is in the best interest of the child. Reaching this decision may require having a forensic psychologist conduct interviews and give expert testimony regarding child or parental alienation, the effects of domestic violence, the psychological functioning of parents, or other important issues. Dr. Swerdlow-Freed discusses research on many of these topics, including how to prepare for a child custody evaluation and how to determine if a child custody evaluation has been properly conducted.
- Children Who Resist Parental Contact
- Change of Domicile in Divorce: What is in the Child’s Best Interest?
- Appropriate Limits on Critiques of Child Custody Evaluations
- Critique of Child Custody Evaluations and Reports
- Domestic Violence against Women and Children
- Domestic Violence and Children’s Safety
- Essential Elements of Competent Child Custody Evaluations
- Overnights for Young Children
- Preparing For a Child Custody Evaluation
- Research Findings on Children’s Post-divorce Adjustment
- Establishing Effective Supervised Parenting Time
- Supporting Long-distance Father-child Relationships
- Therapeutic and Forensic Role Conflicts
Child Sexual Abuse & Forensic Interviewing of Children Articles
There are many factors that need to be taken into account when conducting a forensic interview in cases involving allegations of sexual abuse of children and communicating findings to a judge or jury. Doctor Swerdlow-Freed discusses research on forensic interviewing procedure, children’s memory and suggestibility, hearsay testimony, and other topics that commonly arise in these very challenging cases.
- Juror Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse and the Role of Expert Testimony
- Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse
- Interviewing Children about Allegations of Sexual Abuse
- Questioning Strategies for Forensic Interviews of Children
- Reliability of Hearsay Testimony
- Research on Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse
- Symptoms and Sexually Abused Children
Therapy Articles
Doctor Irene Swerdlow-Freed discusses a variety of topics that she and Dr. Daniel Swerdlow-Freed encounter in their practice, including work-related stress, helping children cope with divorce, and improving communication between parents and teenagers.
- Abusive Adolescent Dating Relationships
- Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
- Confronting and Treating Destructive Anger
- Coping with Job Stress
- Improving Communication between Parents and Teenagers
- Strengthening Family Ties with Traditions
- Surviving Adolescence
- Techniques for Dealing with an Ex-Spouse
- Timely Treatment – Key to Success