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Professional Qualifications

Dr. Stahl received his B.S. in Psychology in 1972 and his Ph.D. in 1983 from the University of Michigan. In his original research, Dr. Stahl surveyed judges, attorneys, mental health professionals, and families about their attitudes and beliefs about joint custody. He received training in divorce mediation and child custody evaluations in 1984 and 1985 and began his career helping families of divorce and assisting judges in family courts.

At the same time, he joined the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. In 1987, he moved to Northern California. As a member of AFCC, he became a member of their child custody evaluation committee and ultimately became chair of the committee. He joined their Board of Directors and helped serve the organization for 6 years in the early 1990's. He became a frequent presenter at AFCC meetings, and recently he wrote his latest book on child custody evaluations, Conducting Child Custody Evaluations: From Basic to Complex Issue in 2010.

In 1996, Dr. Stahl joined the faculty of the National Judicial College and has been a frequent presenter at judicial trainings. He has become a leading trainer of issues related to high-conflict divorce at conferences throughout the country. In 1998, he continued his teaching, when he began teaching California judges at California Judicial Education programs. By 2000, Dr. Stahl joined the faculty of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Dr. Stahl takes great pride in being one of the first psychologists to provide domestic violence training for child custody evaluators when California developed domestic violence training requirements in 1998. See his training links to see a listing of Dr. Stahl's previous trainings.

In 2006, Dr. Stahl became a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology and became Board Certified in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has received an appointment as adjunct faculty member of the Arizona State University Department of Psychology.

As a child custody evaluator and expert witness, Dr. Stahl has testified in courts in Michigan, California, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida. As a consultant, Dr. Stahl has provided confidential consultation to agencies, attorneys, psychologists, and other mental health professionals on a wide range of issues, ranging from foster care and adoption to issues related to child custody and divorce. As a reviewer of child custody evaluations, Dr. Stahl wrote one of the first published articles on the topic. He has taken a leading role in assisting attorneys to understand the strengths and weaknesses of such evaluations and has assisted in cross-examination when needed.

Finally, as a psychotherapist, Dr. Stahl received his early training in child guidance clinics, before becoming Chief Psychologist at the Northwest Guidance Clinic in Garden City, Michigan. Over the last thirty years, Dr. Stahl has also trained many psychologists and MFT's in child and adult psychotherapy. While Dr. Stahl no longer conducts therapy, he maintains a practice of evaluation, mediation, consultation and expert witness testimony related to issues of high conflict divorce and relocation.

Contact Dr. Stahl for more information about his professional qualifications.