Validity of Abuse Disclosure

Unfortunately, not all allegations of abuse are truthful. Factors such as miscommunication, suggestibility, fantasy, coaching, exposure to negative characterizations of the accused parent, and willful manipulation by the child can all lead to inaccurate reporting. While deferring ultimate determinations of the credibility of abuse allegations to the court, forensic psychological evaluations in these cases focus on clinical factors known to be related to the validity of disclosures of child abuse.  These evaluations usually involve direct assessment of the child, interviews with the parents, and substantial record review.
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Our work in this area allows us to provide trial consultation on the validity of child abuse disclosures, even if it is not possible to conduct our own evaluation of the child.