Record Details
An exploratory study of the role of the child specialist in family law
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | An exploratory study of the role of the child specialist in family law |
| Names |
Smith, Lynne M.
(creator) Rubel, Deborah J. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2014-02-27 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2014 |
| Abstract | Research indicates that enduring interparental conflict before, during, and after divorce has negative effects on children. Parental conflict can be reduced utilizing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as mediation and collaborative divorce. The purpose of this dissertation was to produce two manuscripts examining the role of the child specialist in ADR divorce. The first manuscript identified, through an extensive literature review, the effects of divorce on children; the advantages of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) divorce processes; the child’s voice in divorce; and the emerging role of the child specialist, the mental health professional who brings the voice of the child into divorce. There is no research on the role of the child specialist. The second manuscript is a classical Delphi study focused on the responsibilities, tasks, and skills of child specialists in ADR. Careful screening and recruitment offered 12 expert participants whose first round qualitative survey generated 41 items in the 3 categories. Likert-scale ranking for the second and third quantitative rounds resulted in 38 (92%) of the 41 items meeting a 70% consensus level. This dissertation addressed a gap in the existing research; expanded knowledge and understanding of the child specialist’s role in family law; presented the perspectives of diverse experts in the field, adding to our knowledge base; and may guide in effectively training family counselors as child specialists in the promising, interdisciplinary field of ADR, aiding scholarship in counselor education. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | divorce |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/46792 |
