Custody Disputes in Context

The nature of family and indivual dynamics in family dissolution and, especially, families which enter into child custody disputes is beginning to be addressed in the professional literature. This understanding is an essential prerequisite for psychotherapeutic intervention, mediation of these disputes, and appropriate adjudication. In this article, the authors present a synthesis of constructs drawn from object relations, role, and family systems theories which they have found useful in their own practice of mediatino of custody disputes. They provide examples of each of these dynamics from their own work. They conclude with an explanation of the possibilities and limitations of court orders and of individual, family, and couple therapy as interventions in aiding the families' resolution of the psycho-social aspects of divorce.