Parenting Evaluations

Parenting evaluations are designed to assess a party’s parental strengths and weaknesses for the purpose of answering specific questions that the Court has. Unlike custody evaluations, parenting evaluations are not typically comparative. For instance, in Child Protective Proceedings, the evaluator is typically asked to assess whether a parent meets minimal parenting standards, and whether having a child in the care of a particular parent poses a risk to the child’s well being.

In the more extreme case of Termination of Parental Rights, the Court has already established that the parent has failed to meet a minimal parenting standard, and the question the evaluator is typically asked to consider is whether the parents’ deficits are of sufficient gravity and not amenable to change for the foreseeable future to warrant a termination of the parents’ right to a particular child.

Another type of parenting evaluation is an Adoption Study, in which parental strengths/weaknesses are explored in making a determination as to whether a parent’s adoption of a child should move forward. In these types of evaluations the operating assumption is that a prospective parent meets minimal parenting standards.

Some of the special issues that the Court might ask the forensic expert to address in a parenting evaluation (including custody evaluations) are:

  • Domestic violence – in this instance, an evaluator is asked to assess the presence of domestic violence in a family and whether a parent might place their child’s well being at risk by virtue of their propensity to resolve conflict through violent means.
  • Mental Illness – in this instance an evaluator is asked to assess the presence of mental illness and the likely impact of a mental condition on a party’s ability to adequately parent.
  • Substance abuse – in this instance an evaluator is asked to address the Court’s concerns about the potential propensity by a parent to misuse alcohol and/or drugs and its impact on the capacity to parent.

All Forensic Evaluations

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
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