An ADR process with a MHP assisting moderate/severe high conflict parents to implement a professionally driven parenting plan.  Monitoring included.

A MHP investigates then offers information, expertise, &/or insight to the Court on specific issues in the family court case.

Assessment of the neurodevelopmental and psychosocial influences on a child’s expressed wishes from family, child development and legal perspectives.

Assessment of vulnerability & protective factors regarding parent-child contact. “How, when” and, sometimes “if” are answered.

Assessment of possible parent & child factors related to estrangement, resistance & alienation. May address restrictive or cooperative gatekeeping.

Assessment of specific issues to assist in timely resolution of family disagreements (i.e. school placement or child-involved treatment).

A review of existing Court Orders & parental concerns are incorporated into a recommended parenting plan. Very useful for children with special needs.

Compilation of information & formulation of opinions pertaining to custody and parenting time. Unique to state laws.

Standard custody evaluation with one-week data collection by the evaluator within the jurisdiction of the Court. Parental availability is required.

Grandparent, de facto & related parenting time assessments when biological parents are fully, marginally or uninvolved in child-rearing.

Consultation, parenting plan development & related therapeutic services provided to relatives or de facto parents who are caregivers when biological parents are fully, marginally or uninvolved in child rearing.

Risk of harm assessment when sibling bonds are disrupted or broken.

Assessment of all relevant psycho-legal factors inherently involved when a child’s parents are geographically distant from one another.

Assessment of the child’s needs relevant to protection & permanency issues when abuse, neglect & emotional development are in question.

Expert review of reasonable efforts made by child protective services prior to removal &/or termination of parental rights.

Assessment of a family’s capacity for adoptive parenthood and recommendations for a child profile best suited within the existing family system.

Assists client’s discernment about best outcomes in the divorce as well as teaches useful strategies to better navigate the divorce & custody process.

Evaluates case from a mental health, family systems perspective and assists in strategy development for both inside and outside the courtroom. Assists with questions for depositions and trials.

Assist clients with emotional regulation & understanding of the difficult process involved in civil litigation. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but clients may have limited tolerance for delays. Partnership with the client & attorney offers the client a sense of support.

Review of mental health & custodial reports. Review medical records and other documentation to assist with thorough and zealous representation.

When Well-Meaning Therapists Meet Contentious Family Litigants
What Attorneys Need to Know about Mental Health Services
Enhancing Trauma-Informed Courts
Trauma-Informed Premediation and Therapeutic Mediation
Trauma & Court-Involved Juvenile Offenders
Attachment Theory Applications to Abuse, Neglect, And Dependency Cases
Foster versus Relative Placements in Child Removal Proceedings
Various roles of Psychologists in Custody Disputes
Use of Standardized Testing in the Courts
Professional Resiliency, Vicarious Trauma and Trauma-Informed Advocacy
Effects of Caregiver Mental Illness on Children
Child Development in Educational Advocacy
Equestrian Facilitated Psychotherapy with Hard to Reach Patients
How to Develop Trust and Boundaries in Parenting Plans
Management of Communication Breakdown in High Conflict Families and More