How Can Single Parents Handle a Child Custody Evaluation?

 

Dr. Miriam Galindo
Image: galindopsychology.com

California-based psychologist and social worker Dr. Miriam Galindo serves at-risk children and families through her own practice in Irvine. A diplomate of the American Boards of Forensic Social Workers and Forensic Evaluators, Dr. Miriam Galindo has been working as a child custody evaluator for more than a decade.

For single parents, child custody evaluations can be extremely nerve-wracking. But they don’t have to be. When such an evaluation is ordered by the court or requested by the other parent, individuals should talk to their lawyer about the experience. They will have more information about the evaluation process and will give single parents information to guide them during the process. It’s important that single parents follow this guidance.

In preparation for an evaluation, single parents must make sure they have clear answers about any question the evaluator asks. All answers must be honest and directly address the question. Parents must avoid going off on tangents during their answers and must avoid lying. Part of an evaluator’s training is to spot behaviors associated with lying and it will not reflect well when a person is caught being untruthful.

Beyond that, it’s important that single parents make a good impression when visiting with an evaluator. This involves making sure the house is clean and orderly and that their child’s medical and school records are easily accessible. Meanwhile, single parents must never bad mouth the other parent or make an accusation without evidence to support their claim. Instead, they should share the strengths and weaknesses that they’ve seen from their ex.

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Play Therapy Techniques

 

Play Therapy
Image: playtherapy.org

Dr. Miriam Galindo is a licensed psychologist and social worker in California. Helping families involved in divorce, Dr. Miriam Galindo is a registered child play therapist.

The goal of child play therapy is to assist children in sorting through and communicating complicated feelings. A variety of play therapy techniques include:

– Baby dolls. 

Typically involving a therapist and a child with dolls, the play gives the therapist an opportunity to observe the child’s treatment of the doll. For example, mistreatment of the doll suggests that the child may have been mistreated.

– Coloring. 

In this creative arts technique, therapists may ask children to draw a timeline of their life and add colors to show their feelings during those times. Common colors may include red for anger and blue for sadness.

– Games.

Designed to help kids express their emotions, games such as pick-up sticks, checkers, chess, and other strategy games may build a bond between therapists and children and help children feel a higher level of control and focus in their lives. This, in turn, helps them feel happier.

CAMFT Political Action Committees

 

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Image: camft.org

Since 1993, Miriam Galindo, PsyD, has helped children as a social worker and psychologist, first at Olive Crest and more recently at Families in Transition. Dr. Miriam Galindo maintains active membership with the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), which sustains those who support families through advocacy and professional development.

CAMFT assists California marriage and family therapists through the CAMFT PAC and CAMFT Federal PAC, organizations that pool the resources of members of the profession to elect and re-elect candidates who sanction marriage and family therapy providers and the legislation that will best serve them. Many of the issues the CAMFT PACs consider to be policy priorities recur annually rather than being settled in a single legislative session.

The types of not only elections they support, but also donations they can accept separate CAMFT’s two PACs. The CAMFT PAC focuses exclusively on state-level elections, while the CAMFT Federal PAC handles federal elections. The CAMFT Federal PAC cannot accept contributions from corporations, though the CAMFT PAC can use such funding for state elections.

Play Therapy for ADHD Children

 

Licensed psychologist and social worker Miriam Galindo, PsyD, has worked with the Orange County Superior Court as part of its approved panel of experts regarding child welfare issues. One area Dr. Miriam Galindo works in, play therapy, can be used to treat a variety of issues, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Play therapy can help children with ADHD express themselves, making a connection with their parents or professionals through play that they might not otherwise make. Even neurotypical children can often hide their thoughts, and play therapy affords them the chance to express themselves without aggravation or intrusion. Allowing them to play freely during play therapy helps ADHD children even more than neurotypical children, as aggressive imposition of structure can make a child feel abnormal or unwanted.

Some techniques that can help children with ADHD include helper toys and fantasy play. A helper toy, such as a puppet or doll, can help redirect emotions when a child is upset or struggling. Fantasy play, meanwhile, can turn a disappointment such as a missed opportunity or sad day into a chance to explore one’s mind and diminish irritation.

CAMFT Partnership Addresses Parent-Child Separation at the Border

 

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Image: camft.org

For more than two decades, Miriam Galindo, PsyD, has provided a range of child and family therapy services to clients in California. An active member of her professional community, Dr. Miriam Galindo belongs to such organizations as the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).

An independent professional organization, CAMFT advances the science and art of marriage and family therapy while maintaining high standards and ethics for licensed professionals. Toward this end, it recently partnered with Give an Hour, an organization dedicated to providing hope and help to people who have been faced with challenges resulting in emotional pain, to address the issue of parent-child separation at the Mexico-U.S. border.

Through this partnership, CAMFT hopes to create a network of licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) that can provide mental health services to people affected by the situation at the border. According to the organization, children who are suddenly separated from their parents have a greater chance of developing numerous cognitive, behavioral, and psychological issues, such as anxiety and attachment disorders. Fortunately, LMFTs are experts in handling this sort of trauma.

Both CAMFT and Give an Hour encourage California LMFTs to volunteer their time to serve immigrant and refugee children and families. While Give an Hour plans on calling on its own volunteer network, CAMFT plans on reaching out to members who can either volunteer to assist those who are affected by parent-child separation at the border or help the organization find mental health providers who speak Spanish and are willing to volunteer their time.

Uses for Play Therapy

Play Therapy
Image: playtherapy.org

Dr. Miriam Galindo works in child psychology in a private practice in Irvine, California. One area of child psychology in which Dr. Miriam Galindo specializes is play therapy, a process for children to express complex emotions and explore their psychological wellness through play.

In play therapy, mental health practitioners watch children play in a controlled setting and observe their skills and behaviors. By mastering social, coping, and problem-solving skills in the play context, children can learn broadly applicable skills that may help them deal with unresolved issues. While play therapy can be appropriate for patients of any age, it is mostly used for young children.

One area in which play therapy excels, whether as a primary intervention method or a form of adjunctive therapy, is the management of social, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Issues such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and compulsive disorders have been treated with play therapy. Play therapy can also assist young people who are in the midst of a crisis or who have undergone a traumatic event such as a divorce or a death in the family.

How to Become a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

 

Dr. Miriam Galindo
Image: galindopsychology.com

As a licensed psychologist and social worker, Dr. Miriam Galindo has dedicated her career to assisting at-risk children and families. Dr. Marian Galindo completed training as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and obtained practical experience at Parents United/Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program.

A registered or advanced practice nurse can complete specific clinical preparation and education to become a medical professional who cares for victims of abuse and sexual assault. Nurses who want to take SANE training should have at least two years of experience in an area such as critical care or emergency, which demand advanced skills for conducting physical assessments.

Recognized SANE training must comply with the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) SANE education guidelines and typically involves clinical and classroom components. However, local requirements for SANE training vary among states, provinces, and countries.

Nurses who receive SANE training and complete the clinical practice component have the option to take board-certified exams offered by IAFN. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Pediatric (SANE-P) and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A) exams are generally taken by nurses who provide services to these specific groups of patients.

ourt Agrees That Children and Reality Shows Don’t Mix

 

Dr. Miriam Galindo
Image: galindopsychology.com

Miriam Galindo has built a two-decade career based in reaching out to help individuals and families heal from challenging and traumatic life experiences. Formerly a professional social worker in Santa Ana, California, she now directs her own private practice as a licensed psychologist. Based in Irvine, Miriam Galindo additionally provides the Orange County Superior Court with expert advice in family court cases.

In a notable case in 2014, Dr. Galindo served the court by providing a 730 evaluation of the parenting practices and mental health of Tamra Barney, known to TV viewers for her participation in the reality show The Real Housewives of Orange County. Ms. Barney was at the time involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband, Simon, and planned to put the couple’s three children in front of the cameras for the series.

Based on Dr. Galindo’s recommendation, a judge ruled that the Barneys’ children should not be permitted to appear on the show. Ms. Barney did not contest the court’s decision.

The participation of children in reality shows has become a controversial issue. Many experts and members of the public have commented that the associated stress and the pressures to perform in front of an audience are detrimental to children’s mental health. Professionals have additionally noted that the sudden fame that comes with being on a reality show can just as suddenly evaporate, leaving children frustrated, depressed, and with little other means of defining their self-worth.

Popular Book Gives Hope for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
Image: amazon.com

Miriam Galindo of Irvine, California, a former social worker and a licensed psychologist focusing on family therapy during divorce, also assists the Orange County Superior Court system as an expert advisor. Her 20-year practice has often involved working with at-risk children and families. Miriam Galindo’s wide-ranging experience has enabled her to serve her clients with both insight and compassion.

There are a number of popular books for lay readers on the topic of children’s experience of trauma. One of the most popular–and one of the most widely praised by professionals–is The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook. Author Bruce D. Perry established the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston, Texas, with the mission of improving the lives and prospects of children who have survived extreme trauma. A decade ago, he published the book, a series of case studies from his own practice.

Reviews have noted the book’s harrowing, intricately detailed descriptions of how physical and emotional abuse blighted the lives of children in a variety of circumstances. In many of these cases, experts diagnosed severe forms of deprivation-induced cognitive, social, and emotional impairments as a result of trauma. But one of the key takeaways for many readers is Perry’s demonstrations of how compassion, human interaction, and patient, repeated re-patterning of experience can result not only in intellectual blossoming, but also in rich and happy lives.

Strategies for Effective Co-Parenting

 

Co-Parenting
Image: thespruce.com

As a privately practicing psychologist, Dr. Miriam Galindo has offered counseling in co-parenting to many families as they go through divorce. Dr. Miriam Galindo has also worked with the court system as a custody evaluator and co-leads family reunification and co-parenting courses through the Families in Transition program.

Co-parenting can be both emotionally and logistically difficult, as it requires two people to put aside a challenging and potentially intense history to make important decisions together. To succeed, the two parties must commit to open communication that is focused entirely on the children. This means finding a different outlet for frustrations about the other parent, particularly in conversations that the children may encounter.

When children are in earshot, parents must be careful to speak only in positive ways about the other parent. This guideline is applicable when speaking to the children as well as to the other parent, who is likely to be more receptive to parenting discussions if he or she does not feel accused or put down.

Meanwhile, it is important for co-parents to keep rules and expectations consistent across households. This provides the children with a crucial sense of stability and keeps them from taking advantage of what they may perceive as an unstable parenting situation.

Children will, however, be aware that things are different. Parents should answer their questions as freely as possible, when it is age-appropriate, and reassure them about things such as when they will change houses and whether the family dog will change houses with them.