What the Rorschach Can Contribute to Child Custody and Parenting Time Evaluations

A Comprehensive Guide to Child Custody Evaluations: Mental Health and Legal Perspectives

“…When scored with the CS, the Rorschach has demonstrated high levels of inter-rater reliability and incremental validity (Calloway, 2005;Erard, 2005;Medoff, 2003).…”

“…Others have argued that the Rorschach sometimes over-pathologizes because the original Exner normative sample was too well-adjusted. Erard (2005) suggests that this difficulty will be rectified when Exner publishes the new norms he is in the process of developing (Exner, 2002).…”

“…Rorschach supporters maintain that it has less face validity than self-report measures (such as interviews and the MMPI-2) and hence is less subject to conscious distortion or manipulation (Calloway, 2005;Erard, 2005;Medoff, 2003).…”

“…Consequently, many evaluators are now hesitant to use it for fear that their Rorschach testimony will be ruled inadmissible under the Daubert standards. On the other hand, Erard (2005) points out that this concern is not reflected in case law, since the Rorschach's use has seldom been challenged in either lower or appellate courts. 17 In considering legal challenges to the Rorschach, one should keep in mind that attorneys and judges know little about the test.…”

“…Source of hypotheses -The Rorschach should be used to generate hypotheses that can then be evaluated by looking at other data (Calloway, 2005;Erard, 2005;Medoff, 2003). Detailed descriptions -The Rorschach "adds richness and nuanced understanding" to descriptions of people and interactions within the family, and also "allows for description of individuals in uniquely personal ways" (Calloway, 2005, p. 151).…”