Court Custody Cases

Because of my 28 years of clinical experience with couples in conflict, I am often called upon to provide expert witness testimony in court proceedings involving high conflict situations where a legal decision will be made. This legal decision is determined based on the needs and best interests of the child and the psychological capacity of one or both parents to care for and provide the essential needs for that child.

The expert witness is asked to provide theoretical and psychologically grounded opinions based on research findings and the general psychological literature to substantiate his findings, opinions and recommendations about custody, visitation and other high-conflict family matters.

Areas of psychological and behavioral interest an expert witness provides to families, attorneys and the courts includes, but is not limited to the following areas:

• Consults with parents, children, family members, school officials, law enforcement authorities, attorneys, and other mental health or medical providers

• Arranges, schedules, and reviews comprehensive psychological evaluations on parents and/or children

• Interprets and presents to the court, findings of psychological evaluations to identify adaptive or maladaptive personality functions of a parent that have a bearing on that parent’s capacity to support and fully care for the physical and emotional needs of the minor and dependent child

• Researches the psychological literature to report and present to the court, research and theoretical findings that support the physical, emotional, mental and social developmental needs of the developing child from birth through adolescence

• Identifies, confirms and corroborates family, social and environmental conditions that endanger the child and put the child at risk

• Provides relevant descriptions of traits and behaviors along with treatment regimens and projected treatment outcomes for persons diagnosed or suspected of having certain major mental health conditions, including but not limited to major depressive disorder; bipolar disorder; generalized anxiety disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); narcissistic personality disorder; anti-social personality disorder; borderline personality disorder; severe anger and explosive disorders that increase the possibility of domestic violence; substance abuse and addictive disorders; and any and all other conditions that expose the child to the possibility of sexual molestation and abuse