Parental capacity evaluations (PCEs) are specialized assessments that answer a Court’s question of who or what is best for the child or children by assessing the qualities of each parent.

Being licensed in North Carolina and Virginia allows me to travel and assist in these cases across both states. I have attained licensure mobility to practice now in 30+ states. 

I conduct assessments of both parents whenever possible so that they are fairly and comparably presented to the Court. I also assess the relationship between each parent and their child or children. By comparably evaluating both parents, all gender bias is removed and the data from each measure speaks for itself specific to each parent. Both men and women, equally, have benefited from these evaluations.

The goal of my evaluations is to best meet the needs of the child or children. Both parents may be excellent in their roles although unable to communicate about their children. 

My evaluations also come with the most updated research on domestic violence and child abuse, if it exists in your case. I have gathered numerous peer-reviewed and published research articles to support results of any given measure and the entirety of the evaluation.

I am a member of a number of organizations related to family courts and domestic violence with ongoing training from multiple professional agencies. I routinely attend training or review webinars to maintain awareness of new information, trends in family courts, and research as often as needed to answer any questions that arise for my clients. 

I am a certified Child Forensic Evaluator (CFE) RADAR Training through UNC Chapel Hill to assess children for potential abuse or neglect. Additionally, I maintain updated Child Forensic Interviewing skills through Palo Alto CONCEPTS courses and National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). 

I routinely attend training or review webinars to maintain awareness of new information, trends in family courts, and research as often as needed to answer any questions that arise for my clients. I also routinely assess for domestic violence to protect victima and children in family courts.

My years of experience have allowed me to become highly specialized in assessing abused children within the family court system. If your child has been the victim of physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, and/or emotional abuse, I can confirm it with the scientific data of a forensic evaluation and support the data with extensive research I’ve gathered in these cases.

The majority of my initial years as a Licensed Psychologist were spent assessing sexually and physically abused children in very difficult circumstances. I have conducted assessments on youth and adults across the age span in emergency foster care shelters, group homes, hospitals, detention centers, correctional facilities, and private practice offices since 1997.

I am a member of a number of organizations related to family courts and domestic violence with ongoing training from multiple professional agencies. 

Children in domestic violence cases often experience abuse intended to inflict maximum psychological harm to the former marital DV victim. Again, being licensed in North Carolina and Virginia allows me to travel and assist in these cases across both states. 

Many Evaluators do not pursue appropriate training to understand how DV continues in family courts, particularly if physical, sexual, or psychological abuse reports have been made. 

My perspective is gender neutral. I recognize that the victim or the abuser can be either partner. My practice is geared towards assessing for domestic violence, court abuse with custody cases, forensic psychological evaluations (Parental Capacity Evaluations or PCEs), and child abuse in any forms (physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, emotional, or any combination). 

I include children in this section because they are increasingly experiencing their own levels of abuse from repeated litigation. My goals are twofold; a) to return the focus to the actual victim(s) rather than the perpetrator who assumes the role of the victim, and b) to return the priority of the outcome to the best interests of the child(ren).

My work over the past several years allowed me to become quite well-versed on the issues of domestic violence, how domestic violence appears specific to a perpetrator versus a victim, and how this abuse continues into the Family Court system. I am well versed on coercive control of both the protective parent and the children. 

Consultation services for forensic purposes are also available  to examine an individual or a case to find ways in which an assessment for one or more parties may be helpful. Consultation may also be in the form of providing an agency information that can assist in providing services to the community, such as dealing with domestic violence, sexual violence, or child abuse victims.  

My practice is becoming increasingly specialized in the areas of domestic violence, family courts, custody cases, and child abuse. I work with a number of attorneys in North Carolina and Virginia and am available for consultations in difficult cases. 

Is this person competent to stand trial (Competency)? Is this person Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity (NGRI)? Does he or she have a history of mental illness that resulted in a serious crime? Did they understand that their behavior could result in serious injury, death, and consequences for their actions? I can answer these questions with the appropriate assessment measures. I have completed training through Institute of Law, Psychiatry, & Public Policy (ILPPP) through the University of Virginia that meets Virginia Statute  standards to conduct these assessments.

Is this person competent to stand trial (Competency/Capacity)? Is your client able to assist in his/her defense? Are they able to identify key players in the courtroom and their purpose for being there? If you suspect a client has significant psychological issues that are interfering with his or her ability to assist in their defense, utilize a competency evaluation. There are many measures that assess for faking psychological problems or for confirming cognitive, personality, neurological, or medical impairment. I have completed training through Institute of Law, Psychiatry, & Public Policy (ILPPP) through the University of Virginia that meets Virginia Statute  standards to conduct these assessments. 

What was the Mental State at the Time of Offense (MSTO)? Does your client have mental illness issues that could have affected their behavior at the time of the offense? Were they entirely unable to prevent their impulse to injure or cause lethal damage to a victim of their crime? I am able to answer this question with the appropriate assessment measures if needed. I have completed training through Institute of Law, Psychiatry, & Public Policy (ILPPP) through the University of Virginia that meets Virginia Statute  standards to conduct these assessments. 

A risk/needs assessment is usually associated with a pending charge that poses a danger to others. The point of this type of assessment is to determine how much risk is present, if any, or to provide evidence that no risk exists. These risks may be in the form of physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, anger problems, or other psychological problems that may impair one’s ability to control their behavior. As such, specific measures will be tailored to identify a diagnosis, possible treatment needs, and risk associated with the identified problem. 

Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologists who choose to work with attorneys and court systems are subject to more stringent scrutiny and increased risk in their practice. Between your attorney and me, we can work together to best utilize my time and your financial expenditures. Insurance companies typically do not provide reimbursement for court assessments. 

Since my work is much like that of your attorney, retainer fees will vary based on your case. The amount we discuss will cover the majority of a complete evaluation. Assessment fees are $250.00 per hour and court testimony is a separate retainer at $400.00 an hour estimating 8 hours. Each assessment is tailored to suite your needs, so fees will vary and can be modified to fit your financial situation. 

In more complex cases, an additional amount may be expected with increases in Records Review, multiple Clinical Interviews, collateral interviews, additional assessment measures needed, Report Writing, travel time, and repeated dates and times in court. We will determine an initial Retainer Fee and work towards that fee.