It is generally supposed that having contact with a non-resident parent is something to aim for. We share that principle. We are also aware that research findings are equivocal in that the effects on child adjustment of maintaining contact with the non-resident parent are less consistently positive than might be supposed (Lamb, Sternberg, & Thompson, 1997). This reflects the fact that each family presents with a unique set of circumstances; there are numerous variables in each child and family that need to be considered. Careful assessment needs to include all these factors before we can be sure that ongoing direct contact with the non-resident parent is in the child’s best interest. In the majority of our case sample we have concluded that it is, but have found achieving this goal to be a challenging therapeutic task. Even if direct regular contact is not the outc…