NCJ Number
101261
Journal
Mediation Quarterly Issue: 11 Dated: (March 1986) Pages: 43-56
Date Published
1986
Length
14 pages
Annotation
If divorce conciliation is to be effective, the assessment of the issues, the family, the anxieties, and the desired outcomes must be thorough.
Abstract
Psychoanalytic, systems, and communications theories can provide bases for assessment. In addition, the assessment must be valid, relevant, and reliable. Four areas require evaluation: the extent and range of the issues in dispute, the intensity and duration of each, and the priority accorded various issues. In addition, information should be gathered on home and family environment and relationships, physical and psychological dysfunctions, cognitive capacity and coping ability, social and communication skills, and antisocial behaviors (e.g., aggression, drunkenness). In addition to information received from the referral source, the conciliator's observations and questions during the first meeting with the couple or family provide the data for assessment. Questions should focus on life data, attitudes, and feelings; observations should cover both verbal and feelings; observations should cover both verbal and nonverbal communications, interactions, and presentations of self. Inadequate assessment may lead to vague solutions. An unambiguous statement of problems derived from a complete assessment implies possible solutions and the means for obtaining them. 7 references.