DR. CONRAD BOWDEN, CREDENTIALS, EXPERIENCE / 519

Dr. Bowden, Van Psych-Ed Services Site

 

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is the sponsoring organization that publishes the series of papers under the title Practice Made Perfect, and in that series is one piece written by Dr. Conrad Bowden who is the MCFD engaged psychologist who is conducting a parental capacity assessment of Paul and Zabeth Bayne.
Prepared for a 2009 Child Protection Conference, Dr. Bowden's article is entitled, “Parenting Capacity Assessments: A PsychologistsPerspective.”

We know that Dr. Bowden’s service in the Bayne case is paid by the MCFD. That can make parents like the Baynes understandably nervous. Yet Bowden has written a provocative paragraph. Understanding that this paper is intended for diverse child protection personnel, Dr. Bowden’s remarks express a level of objectivity that is encouraging. “While in most cases the PCA is initiated and paid for by MCFD, the psychologist’s job is to consider the whole circumstances of the parent’s situation including their relationship with MCFD. MCFD social workers and others make operating assumptions about their clients that may be erroneous. The psychologist’s job is to increase understanding of the client so as to make it more likely that a constructive working relationship can be formed between social worker and client leading to a return of the child or children.”