Keeping Fathers Involved

This essay, based on remarks to the American Orthopsychiatry Association in 1994, focuses on the role mental health professionals play in perpetuating gender stereotypes that interfere with healthy father-child relationships after divorce.

Dr. Warshak analyzes the biases that support such practices as discouraging overnight contact of young children. He advises  therapists to avoid routine skepticism regarding the desire of fathers to spend more time with their children than they did before the marital breakup. Typically this is dismissed as a ploy in the custody battle, but Dr. Warshak believes alternative interpretations should be considered.

The essay provides specific recommendations to help keep fathers involved even when severe inter parental conflict exists.

essay
This item is included in the Child Custody & Divorce Collection.