Clinical and Forensic Interviewing of Children and Families: Guidelines for the Mental Health, Education, Pediatric, and Child Maltreatment Fields

Provides in-depth discussion of and guidance in the theory and techniques of interviewing children and families in clinical and forensic settings. Among the topics explored in this text are: (1) goals of and factors to consider in clinical assessment interviews; (2) guidelines for initial interviews, methods of analytical listening and dealing with difficult situations, and confidentiality; (3) parameters for developing case histories; (4) evaluation of interviews with parents, teachers, and families; (5) guidelines for follow-up interviews; (6) reliability, validity, and issues surrounding the expert witness; (7) principles of report writing; (8) dynamics of cross-cultural and cross-ethnic interviewing; (9) interviews and interventions with children with psychological, emotional, behavioral, developmental, learning, sensory, or pediatric health-related disorders; (10) special considerations for observing and rehabilitating children with brain injuries; (11) situations with families facing bereavement, the threat of suicide, adoption, divorce, or homelessness; and (12) challenges of interviewing abused or maltreated children, including the process of disclosure, children’s suggestibility, dealing with the known or suspected offender, and appropriate interventions. Written for an audience of mental health professionals, educators, pediatricians and staff, and professionals in the child maltreatment field, the book also contains numerous tables, sample interviewing questions, statistics, and checklists. Table of Contents SECTION I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF INTERVIEWING AND REPORTING 1. Introduction to Clinical Assessment Interviewing 2. Conducting the Interview 3. The Initial Interview with Children 4. The Initial Interview with Parents, Teachers, and Families 5. The Post-Assessment and Follow-Up Interviews 6. Reliability, Validity, and Other Considerations Related to the Interview 7. Writing the Interview Report SECTION II. INTERVIEWING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS 8. Ethnic Minority Groups: An Overview 9. Specific Minority Groups SECTION III. INTERVIEWING CHILDREN WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AND CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FACING LIFE STRESSORS 10. Children with Psychological Disorders: An Overview 11. Children with Behavioral or Emotional Disorders 12. Children with Developmental, Learning, or Sensory Disorders 13. Children and Families Facing Bereavement or the Threat of Suicide 14. Children and Families Facing Adoption, Divorce, or Homelessness SECTION IV. APPLYING PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF INTERVIEWING TO THE PEDIATRIC FIELD 15. Children with Health-Related Disorders: An Overview 16. Children with Health-Related Disorders: Interviewing and Formulating Interventions 17. Interviewing and Interventions for Specific Pediatric Health-Related Disorders, Part 1 18. Interviewing and Interventions for Specific Pediatric Health-Related Disorders, Part 2 19. Children with Brain Injuries SECTION V. CHILD MALTREATMENT 20. Background Considerations in Child Maltreatment, Part 1 21. Background Considerations in Child Maltreatment, Part 2 22. Interviewing Considerations in Cases of Child Maltreatment 23. Evaluation and Intervention in Cases of Child Maltreatment EPILOGUE APPENDIXES A: List of National Organizations for Families with Special Needs B: General Sources of Information for Families with Special Needs C: Miscellaneous Tables D: New York State Risk Assessment Profile E: Highlights of the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3) F: Semistructured Interviews GLOSSARY REFERENCES NAME INDEX SUBJECT INDEX