Standard 9.01 Bases for Assessment

(a) Psychologists base the opinions contained in their recommendations, reports, and diagnostic or evaluative statements, including forensic testimony, on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings. (See also Standard 2.04, Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments.)

APA ethics code

If the psychologist does not know the established knowledge of the discipline (Standard 2.01 Boundaries of Competence) and did not apply the established knowledge of professional psychology (Standard 2.04 Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments), then the opinions contained in their recommendations, reports, and diagnostic or evaluative statements, including their forensic testimony, are NOT based on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings.

Note the citation at the end of Standard 9.01 Bases for Assessment to Standard 2.04 Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments.

2.04 Bases for Scientific and Professional Judgments

Psychologists’ work is based upon established scientific and professional knowledge of the discipline.

APA ethics code

The established scientific and professional knowledge of the discipline ethically required for application with court-involved custody conflict is:

• Attachment pathology (Bowlby)
• Family systems therapy (Minuchin)
• Child abuse and complex trauma (van der Kolk)
• Personality disorder pathology (Beck)
• Child development (Tronick)
• Psychological control (Barber)
• DSM-5 diagnostic system (APA)

Standard 2.01 of the APA ethics code requires that psychologists only practice within the boundaries of their competence based on their education, training, and experience.

2.01 Boundaries of Competence

(a) Psychologists provide services, teach, and conduct research with populations and in areas only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, consultation, study, or professional experience.

APA ethics code

Delusional Thought Disorders: Is the psychologist competent in the diagnostic assessment and treatment of delusional thought disorders based on their education, training, and experience? (vitae)

Attachment Pathology: Is the psychologist competent in the diagnostic assessment and treatment of attachment pathology based on their education, training, and experience? (vitae)

Factitious Disorders: Is the psychologist competent in the diagnostic assessment and treatment of factitious disorders based on their education, training, and experience? (vitae)

Duty to Protect

There are three dangerous pathologies, suicide, homicide, and abuse (child, spousal, and elder abuse). Whenever a mental health professional encounters any of these dangerous pathologies (suicide, homicide, abuse), professional duty to protect obligations become active and an appropriate risk assessment must be conducted to the danger of concern.

There are four diagnoses of child abuse in the DSM-5, Child Physical Abuse (V995.54), Child Sexual Abuse (V995.53), Child Neglect (V995.52), Child Psychological Abuse (V995.51).

All child abuse diagnoses warrant a proper risk assessment. All child abuse diagnoses are equivalent in the severity of the damage they cause to the child, they differ only in the type of damage done, not in the severity of damage done to the child. 

Psychological child abuse destroys the child from the inside out.

Google negligence: failure to take proper care in doing something,

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