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Custody
and Parenting Time Studies:
Information for Parents
Philosophy and Procedures
The philosophy of this office in conducting custody/parenting time
evaluations is that the children's best interests are my primary concern.
Both parents are viewed initially as being equally capable of being
custodial parents. Children are seen as dependent beings and emotionally
have needs for relationships with both parents. Children should not be
involved in the decision making about custody/parenting time and will not
be asked directly their parental preference.
Custody/parenting time evaluations are done in this office only with the
full participation of all parties. The participation of all parties
includes visits in the office and full disclosure of any other mental
health contacts within the past five years. All attorney communication,
written and verbal, is done jointly until the evaluation is completed and
the results are relayed to the attorneys. At the time that one attorney
states that he or she is calling me as a witness, it is appropriate to have
individual conversations with the attorneys.
The visits in the office consist of structured interviews with each
parent, parent-child interaction sessions, and structured interviews with
the children. Formal psychological assessment is done by referral to a
licensed psychologist. The need for such assessment will be determined on
an individual basis. The fees for such assessments are the individual
prerogative of the psychologist.
I will also ask to review any previous evaluations and to review the
course of previous therapy of either parent, the children, or marital
therapy. I will be able to contact collateral parties such as school
teachers after the parents sign releases. I will contact a reasonable
number of non-professional collateral contacts such as friends and family
members. When requesting that I contact such parties, please keep in mind
that their opinions are evaluated in the context of their relationships
with the parties and not at face value. We may contact law enforcement
agencies for additional information.
I will relay the results of the evaluation to the parties jointly and/or
to their attorneys jointly. Often a joint meeting of the parties, when
appropriate, is helpful in promoting the best interests of the children and
is more helpful than hearing the results from the attorneys in
understanding my recommendations.
I ask that parents prepare their children only by saying that they will
be seeing a "talking doctor" who will be helping the parents
understand them better. When appropriate, the children may want to know
that I have a playroom with toys, puppets, art supplies, Legos, etc.
Parents should not say anything in preparation of what they want the
children to tell me as I can usually detect such intervention and it is not
in the children's best interest nor in the parent's best interest to do so.
The usual privileges regarding confidentiality in the doctor-client
relationship do not exist when doing custody/parenting time evaluations,
although I try to be responsible and selective in how and what information
I share in relaying the report. I attempt to make my reporting of
information less inflammatory than the process may be already. This is not
always possible if! have learned information which I feel is critical to
the well-being of the children.
Fee Considerations
The fees for the custody/parenting time evaluation are
assessed at $200 per hour until the court appearance. A $2,500 deposit is
required prior to the start of the evaluation. Fees for court appearances
are assessed individually. The hourly rate is charged for the office
visits, the consultation with
attorneys, the written report if one is requested, and the time spent
contacting ancillary parties and reviewing their information and
depositions if requested. The deposit may vary according to the number of
children and the complexity of the problem. Additional fees will be
requested prior to testifying. When situations require extensive
administrative time regarding unique difficulties, numerous phone calls,
letter writing, and/or consultation with others, then there will be a
charge for that time. If there is a decision from either parent to withdraw
from the study, fees may be charged for administrative expenses incurred
for the initial phase of the evaluation of not less than $150.
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