After receiving an unfavorable result on a social investigation (also referred to as child custody evaluations in other states), parents often feel like they have no options and will be forced to accept the report the court appointed psychologist issues. Fortunately, in Florida, there are laws in place which allow parents to request that the initial evaluators work product be reviewed by a second licensed psychologist, in an effort to determine if there are any serious flaws, biases, method problems, etc., which should be present presented to the court through rebuttal witness testimony. If there are legitimate concerns with the …

What. Hiring a consultation is almost like having a mental health expert on-call and at your service during your time of need. If you ever need to find out how to handle your former spouse, deal with a child experiencing troubling behaviors, or even just dealing with day-to-day struggles, consultation might be the option for you. We’re a forensic psychology practice and our main focus is in family law. We, more than anyone in the mental health field, understand the obstacles families deal with in divorces, child custody evaluations / battles, and just plain litigation. This means when you’re having …

What is Parental Alienation (PA)? Parental Alienation occurs when a parent knowingly and purposely turns a child against the other parent after a divorce or separation. The child can begin believing the alienating parent and could potentially build an alliance, which then results in a damaged relationship with the victim parent who has been alienated. Child has bad behaviors after visiting with other parent? The effects of PA can be seen after the child returns from timesharing with the alienating parent. Some children may be vocal enough to say hurtful things like “I hate you” or “I’m not supposed to …

It can be difficult to communicate with your former spouse after divorce. For this reason, we developed some tips to help you communicate, without the conflict. Always remember, to give us a call if you or someone you know, would benefit from our services. Keep things businesslike Use a strictly professional tone when communicating with the other parent. Avoid using endearments, sharing personal information, or behaving in a manner that can be deemed inappropriate in any way. An overly friendly demeanor can send mixed messages. Stay cordial, and keep emotions out of your communication. Always remember… Avoid using negative or …

What is a parenting plan? If you are divorced and you have a minor child with your former spouse, according to Chapter 61 of FL statutes you are required to have a document called a “parenting plan” that outlines when and where timesharing will occur with your child and the other parent. Typically, the parenting plan can be developed by you and your former spouse, the judge, a mediator, or between your attorneys. This document can be changed or modified if necessary through the court. There are situations in high conflict divorces, where parents will undergo something called a “Social …

What is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)? RAD is a very serious disorder that must be identified before the age of 5 in children. According to the DSM 5, a tool mental health professionals use to diagnose disorders, RAD can be classified as a severe, but rare disorder. RAD occurs when the bond between the infant and the main caregiver is broken, or if the infant does not properly “attach” or “bond” with a single caregiver during infancy. Usually a child who suffers from RAD will either have issues forming new bonds or relationships with others, or they will be know …

Many individuals seek out therapy for several reasons: stress, anxiety, depression, etc. What people may not know, is that many therapists will typically diagnose you, the client, with a clinical diagnosis that could potentially follow you in several ways, and could also hurt you in the future. What is a diagnosis? A diagnosis is the identification of several symptoms that typically occur together. For example, a therapist may diagnose their client with depression when they experience frequent tearfulness, feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest in things they used to enjoy, and fatigue. It should also be noted that diagnosing is …

Anchoring. One of the most basic forms of bias is called “anchoring.” In this situation, the child custody evaluator uses initial judgments and preliminary conclusions to make their decisions. This could hurt the outcome seeing as information that is gathered later, could be excluded or left out. The major problem with anchoring, is it can cast judgement over a parent using inaccurate information. Lastly, this bias can cost your case dearly if uncovered in court. Unbalanced Information. In a child custody evaluation, it is important for the evaluator to take an equal amount of information from both parents. Although, that …

After receiving the results of a parenting evaluation, which likely includes recommendations for timesharing and decision making responsibilities, many parents are left feeling speechless and shocked by the clear signs of biases found throughout the final report. This is because, the reality is, that the results of a Social Investigation (previously referred to as a “child custody evaluation”), often hold a tremendous amount of weight in the courtroom. This fact is especially true if the outcome of the report is not properly challenged by the less favored parent and their attorney. There are many warning signs that should alert unfavored …

Child custody evaluations should never be taken lightly and should always be done by mental health experts who specialize in family law. So, if you’ve recently gotten a child custody evaluation and you aren’t sure if it was done properly, read over these simple questions to check if your evaluation is solid: Inequality of time spent with parents. It can be seen as a huge weakness in  court when an evaluator spent more time with one parent than the other. This can be seen a favoriting one parent over the other and the evaluation will not be as valid. As a …