The second edition of “Play Therapy Goes to Court: Implications and Applications in Contested Child Custody defines a protocol that is comprehensive in scope. It is a “nuts and bolts” approach that assesses the needs of the child, the strengths and risk factors of the parents and the overall quality of the parent-child relationships.It describes a way of approaching the work that conveys respect and helps to reduce high levels of stress for all family members, especially the children.

There is universal agreement that a custody evaluation needs to gather data about children’s perceptions and family relationships from many different sources.What this book contributes to the field is the incorporation of play therapy techniques as a unique component and additional safeguard to a process that begs for redundancy.

This inclusion is based on the premise that play does not lie, because it is not under the child’s (or the adult’s) conscious control. Further, the incorporation of play, as children’s natural language, immediately puts them at ease and significantly reduces the anxiety that would be inherent in a verbal interview. In the heat of a protracted custody battle, children can be bribed, cajoled, even threatened to say things to an evaluator that do not reflect their true feelings, needs and wishes. Their play, on the other hand, is a much more believable expression of their inner reality.

Introduction to the Second Edition
Chapter 1: Best Interest of the Child
Chapter 2: Best Practice Standards
Chapter 3: The Evaluation Process
Chapter 4: Play Therapy Modalities
Chapter 5: Assessment Criteria
Chapter 6: Good-Enough Parenting
Chapter 7: Case Examples
Chapter 8: The Written Report
Chapter 9: Testifying in Court’
Chapter 10: Kids First Program
Chapter 11: Parenting Counseling Program
Chapter 12: Creating a Metaphor for Parents
References
Recommended Reading
Appendices
   • Description of Protocol and Contract
   • Parent Questionnaires
   • Collateral Questionnaires
   • Kids First Presentation
   • Domestic Violence Assessment
   • Sample Report