Serving Davidson, Williamson, Wilson, & Surrounding Counties in Tennessee
Call/Text: 615-961-2349
Serving Davidson, Williamson, Wilson, & Surrounding Counties in Tennessee
Call/Text: 615-961-2349
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Our primary goal for these evaluations is to help the Court determine a parent's ability and willingness to act in the best interests of their children from the present, moving forward. Past behaviors are certainly relevant, but our evaluations would be of little value if we only cared about documenting historical snapshots of someone's worst parenting moments and tallying who had more strikes against them. If we observe parenting behaviors of concern during the course of our evaluations, we let that parent know, and we are typically quite open with their attorney about it, too. These evaluations are stressful enough without having to worry that an evaluator is acting one way and thinking another, so we believe we owe the families we serve a sense of openness and integrity in how we interact with them. We also want the opportunity to evaluate whether a problematic behavior will change in response to feedback. That's the real question, not just whether someone has ever messed up. We all mess up as parents. We want to know whether a parent is willing to fix a mistake or pivot how they approach a problem when doing so is of benefit to their children. Sometimes we are the first opportunity someone has had to receive caring yet direct, non-sugar coated feedback about how they are coming across to others or how their behaviors are negatively affecting their children. If that's the case, and the problem goes away, then it changes from being a point of concern to a parent's demonstrated strength in responding appropriately to corrective feedback and taking responsibility for their parenting behaviors.
We understand this is an anxiety-provoking process, and our providers will take as much time as needed during your initial appointment to explain the process in detail and answer any questions you have. Your attorneys are also welcome to contact our office and arrange to speak directly with any of our providers if they would like more information about our evaluation process.
No. We do not have any paperwork you need to fill out ahead of your first interview beyond the informed consent document you initial and sign to initiate the evaluation. Just make sure you are in a quiet space where you have privacy, especially from your children, who we do NOT under any circumstances want eavesdropping on your interview. This initial interview is a chance for the evaluator to explain the process in detail, answer any questions you may have, and then the rest of the time is spent gathering general background information about you and your family situation. In general, our evaluators do not review records from your case until after the initial interview has been conducted with each parent. We understand that some records may inaccurately or unfairly portray you, and we want to be able to form an unbiased first impression.
As forensic psychological and parenting evaluators, our testimony is not for sale. We do not accept referrals to be privately retained to conduct an evaluation as an expert witness for either side of a child custody case. Our allegiance is to the court in supporting its authority to act in the best interests of children. Attorneys recommend us for the weight of our testimony because we have a reputation for being thorough, accurate, and honest; not because they can count on us to agree with them or testify in a manner that necessarily benefits their client. Any attorney who has experience working with members of our team knows not to expect any special treatment or bias reporting.
If the findings of our evaluation ultimately favor the preferred outcomes of one side of a divorce/custodial dispute, we make it a point to be transparent and accommodating with the other side's representing counsel so they have the best opportunity possible to effectively challenge our findings, should they choose to do so. We respect the adversarial system of law and welcome tough cross examinations of our testimony. Our job is to tell the truth and to do a thorough, clinically sophisticated evaluation so our findings and expert opinions hold up to skillful examination and harsh scrutiny. If we err in any critical aspect of an evaluation, we would much rather face the professional embarrassment of getting ripped apart on the stand than for our error to be left unchecked in a manner that interferes with a child's best interests being served. We recognize that families struggle with the pain of divorce and parenting conflict long after the final ruling for a case is made, and we take great care to provide recommendations that not only assist the court in its role, but also offer practical guidance and feasible steps toward a path to meaningful healing.
Unfortunately, the amount of time and diligence that goes into these evaluations necessitates a financial cost that can feel daunting. With that said, FACTS is committed to maintaining a pricing structure that is quite competitive for the local market, especially considering the comprehensiveness and quality of our evaluation process. Moreover, our commitment to refrain from accepting one-sided evaluation retainers in favor of serving exclusively as independent court-appointed evaluators can substantially reduce the overall cost incurred by parties. Essentially, you can skip the exorbitant cost of each party hiring their own expert and then ultimately needing to bring in a third as a tie breaker, and instead agree at the forefront on a single neutral evaluator.
The current pricing structure for each of our evaluators is available in the Attorney Portal section of the website for your lawyer to access, along with other resources. We do offer a sliding fee scale on a limited basis, depending on your level of need and the availability of sliding fee slots at the time. We also cap our evaluations at a specific pricing point in order to avoid the thoroughness of our evaluations being cost-prohibitive.
Yes, absolutely. But that doesn't mean we are necessarily going to determine you or the opposing party in your case is guilty of it. We apply evidence-based clinical models and careful consideration of each party's perspective to determine whether your children are suffering from parent-child alignment problems, and if so, whether the alignment concerns are due to parental alienation or some other factor. We strongly caution you from trusting the opinion of any evaluator who is either "for" or "against" parental alienation in a blanket way.
Maybe. But that doesn't mean it's necessarily going to work.
As with any scientifically-supported construct, it's just as important to be able to rule out a diagnosis as it is to confirm its presence. If your evaluator has any concerns about you as a parent, they will be open with you about those concerns and give you ample opportunity to address them.
Forensic Assessment & Clinical Therapeutic Service
2200 21st Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
Copyright © 2022 Spirko, PLLC - All Rights Reserved.