ABSTRACT
Equivocality in a Complex Legal Context When she walked into the oªce of the evaluator with videotapes of her questioning her child, the psychologist knew it was going to be a diªcult case. With repeated and inappropriate leading, she managed to get the youngster to, if not endorse, not protest that the father was an abuser. When the tapes were later referenced in the report, her counsel was unhappy that she had not heeded his advice not to submit them. But it took time, the child was repeatedly exposed to misinformation through the processing of the case as well as by the mother, and the relationship of the child with the father required professional input. is case and others illustrate the problems where the presence of risk, the operation of belief systems, multiple sources of variance, unanticipated e£ects, legal process, and advocacy conditioned by an adversarial system of justice all combine in a very special and hazardous context. Handling problem cases of this sort in the domestic relations arena is what this volume addresses. It is our hope that some of the ideas obtained from various experienced mental health professionals, investigators, attorneys, magistrates, and judges, along with guidelines from our experience, will be of help in minimizing the unnecessary harm to children and their families.
