Family Law

Divorcing couples, and divorced parents with children, often use the services of a mental health professional to make the process easier and to make things better for their children.  You are welcome to contact me to find out more about the following services I offer. 

Divorce Coaching

The Collaborative Practice model to helps clients reach a divorce agreement without going to court.  Each client has a coach and an attorney who have been trained in this approach.  Other professionals help with detailed financial information and identifying children's needs.  

Co-parent Counseling and Mediation

In this role, I help divorced parents reach decisions, create or improve a parenting plan, and reduce conflict as they raise their children.  Meetings are with the two parents together, sometimes supplemented by separate meetings with each parent.  I can also help the parents communicate successfully through email. 

Special Master

A Special Master is appointed by the court, with the agreement of both parents, when divorced parents have ongoing difficulties making decisions together about their children. In this role, I help parents try to agree on decisions and, when they can't, I make the decisions, thus reducing conflict and avoiding court appearances.  The court order says what issues I will make decisions about in a given case. 

Child Custody Evaluator

A child custody evaluator is appointed by the court, generally at both parents' requests, for a thorough evaluation of children and parents when serious issues are affecting the well being of the children.  The outcome is generally a detailed written report and a set of recommendations to the court about whom the children should live with and other issues.  For information about how I conduct these evaluations, click here. 

Psychological Evaluations for Family Court

Courts may order a psychological evaluation of a parent to determine whether he or she has problems that need to be considered in custody decisions or that need to be treated for the welfare of the children.  I tailor these evaluations to the specific situation, using psychological tests, interviews, review of records, and so on, depending on the needs of the situation.