Tag: legal

State Legislators: they represent you.

There are multiple lines all moving forward simultaneously – one of them is the legislative line with your state legislators – they represent you.

You have a grievance… with the licensing board’s failure to act to discipline incompetent and unethical malpractice by forensic psychologists.

This is child abuse. The courts and mental health professionals need greater guidance from the legislative branch regarding their obligations to protect children from child abuse. That means amending the child abuse reporting laws to more clearly define all forms of child abuse – including Child Psychological Abuse, DSM-5 V995.51 – and the obligations to protect the child.

Previous legislation was introduced in Florida to do this. There are forces that don’t want change… then there was the Trump era that sucked all the oxygen from the political room – then there was Covid that sucked all the oxygen from the political room.

We are starting to get our oxygen back within state legislatures and their interest in the injustice and child abuse occurring in the family courts.

The state licensing boards will be increasingly exposed for their cover-up of the unethical malpractice in forensic psychology. Parents only have two options when the licensing boards don’t protect the consumer and instead protect the ignorant, incompetent, and unethical forensic psychologist from accountability for their unethical malpractice.

1) Malpractice lawsuits filed in the courts.

2) Complaints to state representatives for legislative review of licensing boards and the corruption and exploitation within forensic psychology and the family courts.

A parent is in contact with their state legislator’s office regarding their matter. An aide was assigned. The parent, the aide, and I met in my doxy.me/drchildress office for background.

There was no opportunity to intervene on the individual matter, but the representative’s office requested more information about any prior legislation that has been helpful. That’s the way of things – we fight for each other – we move things forward step-by-step, no step is lost when we move together.

I sent this parent the following resources to provide to their state representative’s office:

The Florida proposed changes to the child abuse reporting laws that provide greater clarity to the courts and mental health professionals regarding child psychological abuse (DSM-5 V995.51) would be extremely helpful. The courts and mental health professionals need greater guidance and clarity from the legislative branch regarding the obligations surrounding child abuse.

Florida House Legislation Proposed: SB1342 Child Psychological Abuse (Torres) https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=58975

Florida Senate Legislation Proposed: HB1279 Child Psychological Abuse (Antone) https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=59358

In addition. Kentucky passed a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting legislation in 2018, and these laws too for a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting are also very helpful to calming court-involved custody conflicts.

Kentucky Equal Shared Parenting Law
https://www.kentuckylawjournal.org/blog/index.php/2019/02/19/kentuckys-new-presumption-for-joint-custody-and-equal-parenting-time#_edn2

US News: Equal Shared Parenting
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-09-18/report-states-lack-laws-to-support-equal-shared-parenting

Forbes: Equal Shared Parenting
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamiforman/2021/02/09/study-finds-that-equal-custody-arrangements-narrows-the-gender-pay-gap/?sh=67fc9c785611

I also have a presentation to the Pennsylvania House Children and Youth Committee on the situation in the family courts.

Pennsylvania Legislature: Dr. Childress Testimony
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamiforman/2021/02/09/study-finds-that-equal-custody-arrangements-narrows-the-gender-pay-gap/?sh=67fc9c785611

Craig Childress, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, CA PSY 18857