Expert Parental Capacity Evaluations in Williamsburg
Forensic Psychological Evaluation for Virginia Courts
Dr. Brent Peterson has provided forensic parent capacity evaluations for more than twenty years and maintains working relationships with eight Virginia court jurisdictions. The practice completes parent capacity, child custody, and forensic court psychological assessments, produces in-depth written evaluations, and provides expert witness testimony.
A parent capacity evaluation exists to answer a question the court cannot answer from the bench: what each parent is actually able to provide, and what this particular child needs. It is a clinical-forensic examination, not a character assessment, and it is conducted the same way regardless of who requested it.
The Evaluator’s Role
The evaluator is neutral. The client is the court, not the parent who called first — a distinction that governs everything about how the evaluation runs. Findings are not negotiated, favorable conclusions are not promised in advance, and the report goes where the court order directs it. Standard forensic informed-consent procedures apply: everyone participating is told at the outset who will see the report and that the usual confidentiality of therapy does not apply here.
What an Evaluation Involves
A comprehensive evaluation typically includes:
• Clinical interviews with each parent, conducted separately
• Child interviews, developmentally appropriate to the child’s age
• Observation of each parent with the child
• Psychological testing of the parents, selected for the referral question
• Collateral contacts — teachers, physicians, therapists, and other third parties with direct knowledge
• Record review — court filings, prior evaluations, school, medical, and treatment records
• A written report setting out method, data, findings, and reasoning, in a form suitable for the court
Scope is set by the referral question and the court order. Where a broader forensic psychological evaluation is indicated, it is conducted as part of the same process.
Types of Cases
Parent capacity and parental fitness evaluations; child custody and visitation evaluations; termination of parental rights, court-ordered forensic psychological evaluations; and expert witness testimony and deposition.
For Attorneys and Courts
We accept referrals by court order, by stipulation of counsel, and by retention of a single party where the applicable rules and the court permit it. Evaluations take about 2 months from start to completion. This can vary if clients do not show for appointments, fail to schedule promptly, or reschedule appointments
For Parents
If you have been ordered to participate, the most useful thing to know is that the process is structured and the same for everyone in it. You will be told what is involved before it begins, what records are being requested, and who will read the report. Participating fully and answering honestly serves you better than any attempt to manage the impression — evaluators account for that, and it shows.