Psychological Assessments
A psychological evaluation is a thorough process of assessment and screening administered by a psychologist. Dr. John Pita offers Clinical and Forensic evaluations for children as young as ten, adolescents, and adults.
Clinical Evaluations
Psychological evaluations are powerful tools for assessing a variety of emotional and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, psychosis, thought disorders and behavior disorders, narcissistic abuse, substance abuse disorders, social anxiety and avoidance, self-esteem issues, coping skill deficits, and adjustment disorders.
Forensic Evaluations
Forensic assessments are commonly ordered by the court in child custody and divorce proceedings, civil litigation, and juvenile court hearings. Testing and evaluations related to adolescent sex offenses are conducted in cases where the assessment and testimony of an LSOTP is an important consideration by the court. Dr. Pita is an LSOTP-S. He has treated, evaluated, and supervised the evaluation and treatment of more than two thousand in-patient and out-patient adolescent sex offenders.
Child Custody Evaluations
Child custody conflicts can be difficult for everyone involved: the parents, the children, and sometimes even the judge. When deciding which parent should be granted legal custody, Texas courts are required to consider the child’s best interest.
In Texas, a judge can appoint a child custody evaluator (or the parties can hire a private child custody evaluator) to conduct what is known as a Child Custody Evaluation. The evaluator is a neutral third party tasked with thoroughly assessing both parents, their home environment, and anyone involved in the child’s life, as well as the child’s emotional well-being and developmental needs. The goal is to give the judge an accurate and unbiased view of both parties to help him or her make informed decisions about child custody issues.
The family courts utilize mental health professionals with specialized training to assess the child’s best interest in current divorce cases or post-divorce cases. Often, the courts ask the Child Custody Evaluator to provide relevant information on matters, such as which parent should serve as the primary residential parent; in other instances, the evaluator is asked to recommend whether the parents have the capacity to make decisions jointly or whether one parent should have sole legal custody to make unilateral decisions regarding education, medical decisions, and/or extracurricular activities. The evaluator may also be asked to recommend a visitation schedule for the child or children or to assess whether supervised visitation is appropriate at times. Evaluators are also assigned the task of recommending whether the removal of the children to another state or county is in the children’s best interest.
Some of the duties of the custody evaluator are to observe parent-child interactions during home visits; review relevant documentation, including medical, school, and financial records; conduct background checks; conduct interviews with parents, children, and other parties in the child’s life; assess the mental and emotional health of all parties involved; evaluate the stability and safety of each parent’s home environment; complete reports for the court with their recommendations and findings; and testify about their findings.