Child maltreatment: Case studies in assessment and intervention.

Child maltreatment is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with a substantial degree of morbid consequences for children, their families, and society. This article presents 4 cases of maltreatment allegations that pose unique assessment and intervention difficulties. Creative solutions are proposed in the context of rational procedures that are solidly grounded empirically, and aimed at benefiting children and families. Though several of the cases involved court intervention, the authors claim that the court often has no better means of arriving at a factual and substantive disposition than do the parties involved. However, psychologists should not usurp the role of the court and attempt unilaterally to come to conclusions that are legally binding on others. Rather, psychologists need to have the professional discretion to state what they think and the basis of what they think, without the atmosphere of prejudicial hysteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)