1. Psychological Evaluations and the Family Court
Goal of Conference: To facilitate discussion about psychological testing in the Family Court.
Objectives of conference: to address a range of questions and establish areas of interest in preparation for a second conference

2. Discussion Questions What is a psychological evaluation?
What should a psych eval include?
Do you think psychological evaluations only focus on psychopathology?
4. Do you think psych evals should assess normal range functioning?

3. Discussion Questions Experiences with psych evals?- Best? Worst?
What do you find most helpful?
Least helpful?
Have you ever ordered a Rule 35 evaluation?

4. Discussion Questions Who, what, when, why? When to order a psych eval?
Why do you order psych evals?
Who should be included in a psych eval?

5. Discussion Questions Order and referral--
What should go into the order?
How is psych eval information disseminated?
sample referral letter-- includes pleadings, issues, referral questions, list of collaterals.

6. Discussion Questions Bridging the Gap- making psych evals relevant
The issue of comprehensibility…do you understand psych reports?
How to integrate psych evals into custody evals?
How will psych eval results be used?
Should the psychologist testify?
How does the court assess the qualifications of an evaluator?

7. Discussion Questions Other issues
Do you find psych evals accessible (from whom?, issue of cost, etc.)?
Who pays for psych evals? How much do they cost? Does cost inhibit access?
Does health insurance pay for psych evals?
Who gets feedback?
Should every custody evaluation include psych testing?