Richard B. Maxfield. Ph.D.

~ h e-ttLf Iutc::, r euJ APR - 51997

L1CtN5f.O P5YCl101.0GI5T

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EV -\LliA TIOi'i

Name: Hal Richardson a.n.d...C.'-::t!!.(!m4::0WSk~)

These parents were court ordered to involve themselves in a custody evalualion \\1th me.
This evaluation concerns their eighteen month old daughter who current Iv resides with
the mother, with weekend visitation available to the falher. I met with Mr. Richardson
on June 19 and 16. July 13. and September 13 for indiVidual hour long diagnostic
sessions. In addition I met with him for one hour \\lth his daughter on October 4.1996.
I met with Ms. Dombrowski for a two hour consultation session on Julv 10, 1996, a
second two hour consultalion session on September 11, 1996 and a one hour consultation
\\ith her daughter on October 4 .. 1996. In add ilion I administered the MMPI-ll to both
parents. Further, I have spoken WIth or received reports from Joel Nance, M.D., Bernard
Nobo, MSW, Mrs. Barger, who is Claudine's current counselor, Ms. Fisher who is the
child's current day care provider In addition I have received and reviewed multiple faxes
from Ms. Dombrowski, numerous police reports concerning the history of violence 10
this relationship and I have listened to and reViewed a taped telephone conversation
provided to me by Mr. Richardson. That conversation was one between him and Ms.
(". Dombrowski It is on the basis of the above contacts and inforrnation that 1 come to my
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findings and conclUSIOns.

This was an extraordinanly difficult evalualion to conduct. In part that difficulty arises
from the extreme violence whIch has been part of this relationship from nearly the
beginning of their relationship. Further. that difficulty arises. and perhaps pnmarily,
from my opinion that neither member of this couple was forthright in their approach to
me and to the evaluation. Though it is to be e:-;pected that any parent undergoing such an
evaluation Will "put their best foot forward," my assessment of each member of thiS
couple IS that they are prone to fabncation and to blamlOg the other for all. or nearlv all.
of the problems 10 their relationship. Qrr muillple occasions !lJ~~provided information
~c1L\\:as.fr.a~kJ¥-and-boJdJ~_c.ontI.adjcloJ:y to the inforrnatlon that the other had
~SortlOg out where the truth lav in those SltualionS was not posslblt:

Each member of thiS couple descnbes their relationship as beginnIng impulsl\ely Each
of them descnbe it as "love at first sight." though they do not both use that verbalization.
At the time that they met Mr. Richardson was mamed to hiS first ",ire Almo,t
Immedlatelv upon meeting Ms DombrowskI he became intimately involved With her
He \ery qUick Iv. from hiS pOint of View, began to proVIde for her financlallv and
emotional I, She descnbes herself as being "sauck olTher feet" by hiS "charrn."

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 .'
Hal Richardson & Clat.. ,I~ Dombrowski

Richard B. Maxfield. Ph.D.

LIC~NSW PSYCHOLOGIST

As th~ir relationship deepen~d there b~;,!an a s~rious of vioknt interchanges. At least half
dozen of those interchan!!es came to the attention of the police and on at least one
occasion th~re were charg~s filed against bOlh of them. Mr. Richardson describes Ms.
Dombrowski as extraordinarily moody. He tells me that she began the violence by
"tearing up" a number of his possessions He lells me lhat he became violent in return as
a matter of self defense. Ms. Dombrowski, on the other hand, describes herself as the
victim of the violence which, in her mind, was essentially unprovoked. She tells me that
she needed to defend herself agair.st him and that whatever damage she might have done
to him or to his property was a result of her efforts of self defense. In reviewing the
police reports of these various episodes it is impossible to sort out who did what to whom
and in what order. Clearly, however, both members of the couple actively engaged in
violent behavior toward one another.

Both members of thiS couple accuse the other of currenlly perpetuating the animosity
between them. Mr. Richardson, for his part, communieales that Ms. Dombrowski
frequenlly calls him. He says that she has called him at two and four in the morning and
has ridiculed him over some piece of current or past behavior. He tells me that she
sounds drunk in the phone calls and he is able to hear the baby in the back~'Tound. He is
fearful for the baby's safety at such times. For her part Ms. Dombrowski absolutely
denies placing any phone calls to Mr. Richardson. She tells me that it is he who calls
her. She says that she feels threatened and harassed by him and wishes to have
absolutely no contact \\ith him. Again, it is impossible for me to sort out the veracity of
either one of these claims or counterclaims.

The animosity between these parents IS such lhat the exchanges of their babY need to
occur in the presence of a third party. When I initiallv began the ~valuation Ihose
~xchanges were taking place in a hospital in Salina with a social worker participatIng.
Toward lhe end of the ~valua!ion process the exchanges were transferred to the Salina
police department. Following one such interchange there was some sort of disturbance
b~twe~n Mr. Richardson and :-'Is. Dombrowski. Ms. Dombrowski communicales that
Mr. Richardson followed her around Salina, that she w~nt back 10 lhe police station to
report him for haraSSIng her and that the police "escorted him oul of town." ~Ir.
Richardson l'ommunicates that he was simpl\' gettin;,! ;,!as for his Iruck. that Ms.
Dombrowski drove by and that she made a false report 10 the police that he was haraSSing
her and h~ IS d~eply offend~d that the police escorted him out of town. Again it is
impossible for me to understand what may have transpired and who may be at fault in the
above interchange

What is abundanlly ckar is Ihal II is Impo~slhk le)f Ihese parents to (()-parc~1. Neither or
them can sa" a civil \\'ord aboul the other. Each "I' them has extraordinary anllllOSIlY
,. loward the other. Ms. Dombrowski communlcat~s thaI she is deeplv ft:arful of Mr.

, .,
Hal Richardson & Cia .ne DombrowskI

Richardson, nOling, for instance, that two membe,s of her Batte'Cd Women's Task Force
Group have been murdered by their e:<-husband's or boyfriend's. She says, convincingly,
that she is fearful for her life. How much that IS conscious exaggeration is unkno"'l110
me. Me. Richardson communicates that Ms. Dombrowski, in his opinion. is
psychiatrically disturbed. unable to be trusted and .::\traordinarily manipulative. He
communicates that he cannot have a reasonable conversation with her as she is a "liar"
who will distort the truth to her 0"11 ends. Currently there IS virtually no communication
bel\veen them in regard to their daughter. As noted above each of them says that the
other one is making inappropriate and accusatory or threatening phone calls to the other,
both, however, admit that they are unable to have any1hing approachIng a ciVIl discussion
about their daughter or her circumstance.

Each member oftne couple accuses the other onc of having a problem WIth either
alcohol or substances. Each of them denies the use of alcohol themselves. My
assumption and confirmed by reports of previous evaluators, is that each of them has had
diffieulty with the use of substances and/or alcohol in the past. Whether that is a current
problem is unclear to me, though as noted they each deny those possible difficulties.

There is little doubt that each member of this couplc has significant dit1iculties with their
impulse controL Each of them involved themselves quite impulsively in this
relationship. Further, each of them admit to interactions with the other during this period
of separation when there are, so far as I know, mutual restraining orders. Each of them
speaks ,~ithout thinking in their appointments ,0.th me. They provide information that is
contradictory to what the other one has said and what they have previously
communicated \vithoUl much, if any, awareness of having done that.

Both members of thiS couple deny havIng problems with VIOlence that predated their
current relationship. However, there is a police report available on Ms. Dombrowski that
concerns a violent interchange with a former bovfnend. She has an e:\planation for that
which she provides me in the consultation which completely. in her mind, exonerates her
from responSibility. Mr. Richardson. despite Ms. Dombrowski's accusations to the
contrary. communicates thai violence was never a problem in his first marriage.
However, he freely admits that he has had trouble with the law in the past and that he has
been in multiple fights. He provides the reasoning that he was alwavs coming to
someone's defense who "'as unable to defend hIm or herself or that hc was simply
attacked in an unprovoked wav.

There is little doubt that both members of this couple suffer from a sigT1lficant psychiatric
difficulties It seems quite Iikelv to me that each of them suffers from Borderline
Personality Disorder In regard to that characterization Ms. Dombrowski has
demonstrated a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships. Significant
ImpulsivllV. affective Instability with ckar proneness to depression on the one Side and
lrntabilitv or :Il1:\lelVon !he oth-:r She additional". has demonstrated Inte:lse and
inappropriate anger. She dearlv has -:ngaged 111 dfons to avoid real or ImaginctJ
abandonment. In fact. her greatest fear in regard to IhlS custodv c"aluallon IS the
Hal Richardson & CI: inc DombrO\\skt

complete loss of her daughter, perhaps, she says, from Mr. Richardson's kidnapping of
the daughter. For his part r-.'Ir. Richardson has demonstrated a pattern of intense and
unstable interpersonal relationships, impulSiveness, alTective instabtlity with periods of
significant depreSSion though he denies inappropriate and intense anger his behavior
suggests otherwise and I suspect that he suffers from feelings of boredom or emptiness,
though I did not do a thorough inquiry In that area. The psychological testing
demonstrates that both of these people likely minimize their difficulties in reporting their
symptoms and behaVior. In addition, however, the testing would be consistent, \V1th the
presence of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Each member of this couple has a history of signl ficant disruption in family relationshIps.
tvls. Dombrowski's hlstorv IS marked by multiple abandonmcnts by her mother,
placcmenl In foster care throughout her life and difficulties In rclationships \\1th her
Siblings. She describes an upringing which is positive for her observing parental abuse at
the hands of her stepfather toward her mother and some Indications that she was abused
physically by her stepfather

Mr. Richardson descnhes that he parent's divorced rather early in hiS life, he is the third
oldest of seven chtldren. He communicates that follOWing the divorce his parent's
remarried, he descnbes his mother as being inconSistent, having significant problems of
her own and one gets the sense, though he docs not quite say it, that hiS mother was less
available to him than he would have liked.

Each member of this couple descnbed themselves in an extremely positive light. They
communicate good work histones, positive relationships with others and a sense of
responsibility about their lives. Ilowever, there is evidence to the contrary, for instance,
each of them dropped out of high school, that despite their telling me that their
adolescence was a relatlvelv calm one. Again I am thwarted in mv evaluation of them by
their portrayal of themselves as essentially being Without difficulties.

I have little doubt that each member of thiS parental pair loves and IS concerned about
their daughter However, there is also little dOL:bt that the daughter IS placed squarely in
the middle of their contlict. Each of them accuse the other ofplac:r.g the daughter in
situations that were phvslcallv dangerous and threatening to the daughter. Ms
Dombrowski communicates that \l1r. Richardson once pOinted a shot gun at her and her
daughter, Mr. Richardson accuses !vls. Dombrowski of being quite drunk and driving the
car with the daughter in the car. Again It is impoSSible to sort out the truthfulness of
either one of those accounts.

Each member of this couple gives an accurate and complele de~cnptlon of their daughter.
They dearlv arc involved and Inves1ed in her life. 80th ofthe:,1 have substantial goals
for her In Ide Each of them wishes:o pro\lde her the most stahle environment posslhle.
Mr Richardson IS proud of hiS helng an extremc!y 10\'31 and dC\'OICd person. He
deSCribes hirnselfas ne\er gl\lng up <111 olhers Mr Richardson IS partlcularlv concerned
that his daughter ,,'lOW up "'lth relallonshlps with her half siblings, hiS Ihrc~ children
 .'
Hal Richardson & Cl~ .ne DombrowskI

from his first mamage. I Ie believes that familv ties arc e~traordinarily Imponant and he
wishes that hIs daughter would have that e~penenee of family. lit: also communicates
grave an~ieties about his daughter being exposed to Ms. Dombrowski's mother who he
has considerable negative opinion of for what she has "done to Claudine." He beheves
that he could provide a more stable consIstent :lnJ loving home environment than could
Ms. Dombrowski. On the other side Ms. Dombrowski deSCribes herselfas being quite
devoted to her daughter. She savs that she wishes for her daughter to ha\.e in hfe
advantages that she didn't have. She panicularly notes that her growing up years were
substantially disrupted by her various placements in foster care and she cenainly wants to
avoid any such disruptions for her child. She communicates that prOViding for her
daughter is her number one goal In life She says that she is currently doing a good Job at
that and believes that she should continue with that

I observed each member of this couple independently Interacting with their daughter.
The initial hour of interaction was \\lth Ms DombrowskI. She brought the daughter to
the appointment. The daughter was alen. though obviously tired from the long car trip.
Mother and daughter Interacted in a positive and comfonable manner. The mother
brought age appropriate toys for the daughter to play wllh and Involved the daughter in
multiple and appropriate activities throughout the hour. There was a hint of anxiety In
the Interaction, though that well could be accounted for by the fact that she was being
observed and the fact that she knew that Mr. Richardson would be coming for the second
hour. I saw nothing in their Interactions that raised concerns in my mind about her ability
to be intune with her daughter. Their level of interaction suggests the positive bond and
obvious ongoing concern on Ms. Dombrowski's pan

When Mr. Richardson came lar his appointment the daughter had a period of significant
separation ditlieulty from her mother. She was tearful through the first fifteen or so
minutes of the session. Eventually she fell asleep on Mr. Richardson's shoulder. During
that period of initial tearfulness and separation difficulties Mr. Richardson al1empted to
distract her, altempted to reassure her and calmly held her. My impression is that he is a
loving and concerned father who is cenamly capable of :,.'Teattenderness with his
daughter. Again [ saw nOlhlll!! in hIS interaction with his daughter that concerned me
about his abilities "llh her. As she napped during most of the hour I did not observe
their play. though it is clear that he IS a loving and In\olved parent

It is difficult to know the parental abtlltles of each member of thIS couple over time My
concern about each of them is that they are inconsistent in their psychologIcal stabtlity
and their relationships. How that inconslstencv mav inlluence theIr daughter over lime is
uncenain. Mv observation of them over one hour of Interaction was positive. though that
cenainly does nOI address the prohlem of their ongoing consIstency

The major prohlem In regard to making a po,t divorce co-parenting reiatton,hip \\ork In
tillS situation IS the extraordlnarv anlmosltV. k:lr and potential for vIOlence m tillS couple.
In addition therc IS the \cn S1gntlic:lnt possibtlil\ l,r conscious m:ll1lpubtlon ~lnd
distonlon on the pan of cach mcmhcr of the couple Thus rar thc\' have hc~n comple!cly
 Hal Richardson & CI:.. ne DombrowskI

from his first marria!.!e

- I k bdieves that familv. ties an: extraordinarily important and he
\~;shes that his daughter would have that experience of famIly. He also communicates
grave anxieties about his daughter beIng e~posed to Ms. DombrowskI's mother who he
has considerabk negative opinIon offor what she has "done to Claudine." He believes
that he could provide a more stabk consistent and loving home environment than could
Ms. Dombrowski. On the other SIde Ms. Dombrowski descnbes herself as beIng quite
devoted to her daughter. She says that she WIshes for her daughter to ha\e in life
advantages that she didn't have. She pal1lcuJarly notes that her growing up years were
substantially disrupted by her various placements in foster care and she certainly wants to
avoid any such disruptions for her child. She communicates that providing for her
daughter IS her number one goal in life. She says that she is currently doing a good Job at
that and believes that sht: should continue with that.

[ observed each member of this couple independently InteractIng with their daughter.
The initial hour of interaction was with Ms. DombrowskI. She brought the daughter to
the appointment. The daughter was alert, though obviously tired from the long car trip.
Mother and daughter Interacted In a posItive and comfortable manner. The mother
brought age appropriate toys for the daughter to play WIth and involved the daughter in
multIple and appropTlate aCtiVitieS throughout the hour. There was a hint of anxIety In
the interaction, though that well could be accounted for by the fact that she was being
observed and the fact that she knew that Mr. Richardson would be coming for the second
hour. I saw nothing in their interactions that raised concerns in my mind about her ability
to be intune with her daughter. Their level of interaction suggests the positive bond and
obvious ongoing concern on Ms. Dombrowski's part.

When Mr. Richardson came for his appointment the daughter had a period of significant
separation dit1iculty from her mother. She was tearful through the first fifteen or so
minutes of the session. Eventual". she fell asleep on Mr. Richardson's shoulder. During
that period of inittaltearfulness and separation difficulties Mr. Richardson attempted to
distract her, attempted to reassure her and calmly hdd her. My impression is that he is a
loving and concerned falher "ho is certainly capable of great tenderness "ith hIS
daughter. Again I saw nothing In hiS interact JOn with his daughter that concerned me
about hiS abilitIes \\llh her. As she nappcd during most ofth.: hour I did not obs.:rvc
their play, though it IS ckar that he IS a loving Jnd In\Olved parent.

IllS difficult to know the parental abilities of each member of this couple over tIme. My
concern about each of them is that thev are InconSIStent in their psycllOlogtcal stability
and their rd<1tlOnshlps. How that Inconslstencv mav intluence their daughter over time is
uncertain. Mv observation of them o\er one hour of interaction \Vas [1ositl\e. though that
eertainlv does not address the problem of their ongoing eonsistenc\

The major prohlem In regard to makIng a P()~t dl\orce (o-pJrenting n:!Jlion,hlp "ork In
this sttualion IS the e~traordInarv anlmOSIlV, ti:ar and potentIal for vloknce In thiS couple.
In addition theft: IS the \eJ"\ slgnl!icant posslbJiJl\. l,f conscIOus manl[1ulatlOI1 and
distortion on Ihe [1art of'::lch member of the coupk Thus IJr thcv ha\e be~n cOl1lple~elv

\
lIal Richardson & Cia ne DombrowskI

unable to arrange for even the ~haring of mmlmal mfornlatlon hetween them about the
needs and development of their daughter Bemg completely unable to put aSide their
personal feelings for one another for the benefit of their daughter is clearlv problemalle
in the long term future of IhlS youngster Funher. neither one of them can suppon the
daughter's relationship with the other parent. Their level of distrust and animosity simply
eliminates that potential. At this point I do not believe that either one of them are
amenable to couple's therapv and I have serious reservations that such treatment would
provide any benefit as I doubt that either one of them could be fonhnght enough with a
therapist to address the significant issues in Iheir relationship

I believe this youngster's relatIOnship wllh each of her parent's is Imponant and wonhy of
maintenance. It IS unfortunate that Ihere is substantial distance between the residence of
the mother and father The clllid IS reqUired to travel many hours by car to have visits
\\1th her father. Though the travel might not be terribly burdensome to a youngster her
age such travel as she h'TOWSand develops will become more burdensome and disruptive
of her usual life activities. Were it pOSSible to establish residences less distant physically
that might be In this youngster's best Interest.

I have spoken wllh the day care provider and with Ms. Dombrow~kl's counselor. Both of
them descnbe Ms. Dombrowski as a lOVing and concerned parent. The counselor tells
me that parenting issues arc the malO focus of their work together The counselor IS
clearly aware of Ms. DombrowskI'S difTicult upringing and the difficulties that upringing
may foreshadoW In regard to future parenting abJiities. I was impressed by that
counselor, her knowledge of the Situation and her assessment that she has a positive
relationship with Ms. Dombrowski. I also spoke with the day care proVIder. She tells me
that the child initially had significant separation anXieties when being dropped offat the
day care. She tells me that those anxieties have diminished substantially in the time that
she has known her She descnbes Ms. Dombrowski as a concerned and reliable parent
who brings her daughter at the appointed time and picks her up at an appropriate time.
She tells me that ~ls. DombrowskI calls several times each dav to check on the comfon
of her daughter She deSCrIbes haVing no concerns about Ms. Dombrowski's abJiity as a
parent, nor docs the counselor who Ms Dombrowski has consulted with

Recommendations

I) I believe thiS youngster's best Interest would be served by ongoing lD\ohemenl

with both of her parent's. As already noted each of them IS IO\lDg and concerned.
she IS attached to each or them and maintammg that attachment wllltid be
imponant for her future development. Each parent has a mi"ture of assets and
liabilities whIch are perhaps somewhat modified bv the presence of the other
parent.

2) I believe that the child should have pTlmarv resldenllal custod\ Wllh the mother
belle\e that the mother's mvohement In cnumeiJng IS a crUCial benefit and should
not be underestllnated In regard 10 h<:lplng her I(l pro\lde the kind (If ~ll\lrOnment
Hal Richardson & Cia le Dombrowski

that this youngster will need. I have some
limiting or dropping out of the counseling
Therefore Iwould stron~ly encourage the
continue her counseling relationship With
duration at 'v1s. Barger's sole discretion
concerns about Ms. Dombrowski
should she be awarded custody.
court to court order Ms. Dombrowski to
Ms. Barger at a frequency and for a

3) Given the lengthy travel to transport this child between parental homes Ibelieve
that it would be in her best interest to have lengthy. but less frequent, visitation
with her father Iknow that It is generally bener for younger children to have
frequent and less lengthy Visitation, however, the physical distance, Ibelieve. out
weighs the benefits from more frequent visitation. Iwould suggest therefore, that
visitation with the fathcr occur on an every otkr week basis with a thrce day
weekend begmmng Fndav afternoon and ending either Sunday evening or
Monday mom mg.

4) As these parent's arc completely unable to communicate J am not optimistic about

the stability of any custody and visitation schedule. However, Ido not believe
that they are currently in a position to engage 10 any Joint counseling or other
form of Jomt communication. Perhaps mstituting some wrinen communication
that could be monitored through Court Services would be of some help in
beginning communications about the daughter.

5) Given the potential for VIOlence and the fear of violence and "manipulation" I
would strongly encourage the Co un to order that exchanges of the child occur in a
public place such as was arranged through the social worker at the Salina hospital
or the police depanment 10 Salina

6) Isuggest that are-evaluatIOn of the cncumstances occur in six to nine months to

see if the couple has been able to make any headway on then putting aside their
mutual ammosity and distrust further. an assessment of their ability to begin
appropriate communications about their daughter at that point could be made.
Perhaps post-divorce parent counseling could be undenaken at that time.

(L~~~'(~~J
Richard B. ;V1a~lield_ PhD

Date signed