The court often seeks input and recommendations from a neutral evaluator to resolve identified issues. A Brief Focused Assessment (BFA) is commonly used for families where there is a very specific issue that may not require a comprehensive custody or parenting time evaluation. An order from the court identifies the issues to be addressed and appoints a neutral evaluator. The court order must direct the evaluator to address a specific, narrowly defined question. BFAs can be useful for assessing family dynamics, determining how to re-establish an interrupted parent-child relationship, and assessing a child’s wishes in relation to parenting time.

Please contact Dr. Hart for additional information regarding Brief Focused Assessments.