Expert in Custody & Hague Convention Cases

Dr. Yohananoff is a licensed psychologist in NY and an expert witness who is trilingual (English, Hebrew, Italian). He has vast experience in conducting forensic evaluations in matters of family law, child custody and parental fitness. Dr. Yohananoff has expertise in Hague Convention cases and has published articles in Family Court Review and The New York Law Journal.

In addition to his clinical experience, Dr. Yohananoff has been a presenter as well as a panelist at various conferences including the Association of Family Court and Conciliation (AFCC). He has taught at the graduate program at the City College of New York (CCNY) as well as the advanced postdoctoral certificate program at St. John’s University.

Dr. Yohananoff is appointed to the Mental Health Professional Panel, First and Second Judicial Department in the State of New York and is a member of its re-certification panel for mental health professionals. He is a member of  AFCC, has served as a board member in the NY Chapter and has been the editor of its Newsletter.  Dr. Yohananoff is also a member of the New York State Interdisciplinary Forum for Mental Health and Family Law and is a member of the editorial board, Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development. 

Child Custody

Custody evaluations are typically thought of as being the most complex type of forensic evaluations. In these evaluations the hired expert is asked to conduct a comparative study of parental strengths and weaknesses in order to determine the best sharing-time arrangements between each parent and a particular child. The guiding principle in child custody evaluations is what constitutes the “child’s best interest.”

Typically, child custody evaluations are a lengthy process which may include multiple meetings with each party, psychological testing, parent-children interaction, and the gathering of extensive collateral information from various sources (e.g., therapists, schools, etc.)

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Attorney Services

Psychologists can assist the Court and attorneys in a multitude of ways, including:

  • by providing an expert opinion to the Court,
  • by consulting with attorneys in order to develop an overall coherent strategy designed to challenge another expert witness's opinion (this is typically done through the formulation of appropriate direct or cross examination questions.)
  • by educating an attorney about psychological issues he/she might not be familiar with, in order to facilitate the attorney's effective advocacy for his/her client.

Psychologists can also assist attorneys by reviewing peer products to highlight strengths and weaknesses of a particular product in an effort to assist the hiring attorney.

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Testimonials

“I have worked with Dr. Yohananoff for several years mostly as a retained consultant in custody and access matters.  Dr. Yohananoff has a unique ability to describe the parties’ emotional dynamic very quickly, enabling him to focus on the crux of the disputed issues.  His is extremely knowledgeable, and his analyses are thoughtful and nuanced.  I have found Dr. Yohananoff to be one of the top forensic psychologists in his field.”

- Dror Bikel, Attorney

“Dr. Yohananoff was appointed as a neutral forensic on a hotly contested custody dispute. His report was thorough and insightful. At trial, his testimony was clear and concise. I would highly recommend him as a forensic expert in contested custody matters.”

- Laurence Greenberg, Attorney

“I highly recommend Dr. Yohananoff as a custody evaluator. In a custody case in which he was hired to provide an independent forensic assessment, he did an excellent job interviewing the parties and producing a useful comprehensive report. He was also a very good expert witness at trial. It was clear that his work was helpful to the court. In her decision, the judge mentioned Dr. Yohananoff numerous times.”

- Joel Siegel, Attorney

“Dr. Yohananoff is an extremely skilled forensic evaluator with a wealth of experience, knowledge, and insight. He is deftly able to handle even the most challenging situations and approaches and conducts his work with great skill and interest. He has added great value to the specialty field of forensic evaluations.”

- Jeff Steigman, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist

“I have used Dr. Yohananoff as a neutral forensic evaluator on numerous occasions in hotly contested custody matters. His evaluations were thorough, nuanced, insightful and well organized. I would highly recommend Dr. Yohananoff”

- Jennifer D. Hersh, Esq.

“I have been involved in numerous cases assigned to Dr. Yohananoff in Supreme and Family Court. These matters have involved issues of custody, visitation, relocation, parental alienation and modifications of existing orders. I have consistently found Dr. Yohananoff’s gathering of factual data to be extremely thorough and his judgment to contain unusually keen insight. His well-written reports are of superior quality, addressing complex issues regarding custody and parental access with creativity and sensitivity. When called upon, his oral testimony tends to support and amplify his written conclusions under the most rigorous cross-examination.”

- Robert Gruenspecht, Attorney
Member of

This logo is a registered trademark of the Association of Family Court and Conciliation.
It denotes only my membership at AFCC and it does not imply in any way an endorsement by AFCC of this practice.