Presented by:
Kathleen McNamara, PhD
The new “AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluation in Family Law Cases” are an update to the 2006 “Model Standards for Practice of Child Custody Evaluation.”
Dr. McNamara was the Reporter for the task force that developed the Guidelines. She will discuss how the Guidelines were developed, what they mean for practice
and how they serve to protect both evaluators and families.
The learning objectives for the program are:
By the end of the program participants will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose of the guidelines.
2. Describe how the guidelines fit with Colorado law, Colorado’s CJDs for CFIs and PREs, and other practice standards and guidelines.
3. Describe at least three key points from the new guidelines.
4. Explain whether the guidelines are a shield or sword for evaluators.
Dr. McNamara is a licensed psychologists in private practice in Fort Collins, specializing in counseling and forensic psychological services. She has conducted hundreds of parenting plan evaluations and was the reporter for the 2022 AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluation in Family Law Cases. Dr. McNamara was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University for fourteen years. She is past president of COAFCC and was named COAFCC’s 10th Anniversary Honoree for service to the chapter. She is a graduate of Ohio State, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and Penn State where she received her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology.
