“THE APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE FAMILY COURTS – CONTROVERSIES, PSEUDOSCIENCE AND PSEUDO EXPERTS”

by Dr. Jaime Craig,
Chair of the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP-UK)

ABSTRACT

For many years, psychological opinion has been pivotal in some of the most life changing decisions for children and their families in family courts worldwide. Nowhere has this been more evident, and the evidence more polarised and controversial than in cases which include allegations of ‘parental alienation’ / alienating behaviours. This paper will consider how in these cases psychology theories and the evidence from psychologist experts has been utilised to either promote or erode children’s rights, to safeguard or silence victims.

Serious loopholes in the regulation of psychologists in the UK persist and this has allowed for the evidence from unregulated and unqualified psychologist ‘experts’ to be admitted in these cases and promote pseudoscience unfettered. Successive efforts to improve the rigour of psychologist expert evidence and its use in the family courts led to the development of joint Family Justice Council & British Psychological Society guidance for psychologist expert witnesses (Craig et al., 2023) and in December 2024 new family court guidance for how allegations of ‘parental alienation’/alienating behaviours are responded to.

This presentation will chart the development of these guidelines and engagement with policy makers as an example of wider attempts to safeguard the public when accessing psychological advice and services.

The growing standing, influence and recognition of psychological science brings with it huge responsibility for how this power is wielded. Psychology is inherently impactful and as a discipline we need to take this seriously, call out its misuse and insist on rigour and accountability.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Jaime is Chair of the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP-UK) and has many years of experience as an expert witness in the Family Courts in the UK. He is a qualified clinical psychologist  and former Chair of the Children and Young People Faculty of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the British Psychological Society.  He has led ACP-UK’s campaign to expose and prevent the appointment of bogus psychological expert witnesses who claim expertise in the “diagnosis” of “parental alienation” leading to the scandalous removal of children from the custody of their mothers. This is an international problem being repeated in courts in many other countries outside the UK.