FORENSIC | Parenting Focused Psychological Evaluations
When parents disagree over their children's best interests, their emotions can become raw and intense. As a result of these "high conflict" issues, the parents often end up with a custody case in court. Cusody cases are often the most contentious, conflictual and hard to manage and the truth is, the Court system is not designed to solve emotional problems between parents in high conflict cases.
The Courts and attorneys have relied on qualified mental health professionals to assist in formualting an opinion concerning what is in the best interests of the children.
Researchers and custody evaluators have reported that the issues presented by high conflict parents often point to them having pervasive and enduring patterns of maladaptive behaviors. The more we understand about the individual’s psychodynamic and the interactions between parents is essential to understanding how a parent's personality impacts their parenting and how their children have been and will be raised.
After 40 years conducting child custody evaluations across the state of Texas, Dr. Siegel developed a new approach to the "regular" psychological evaluation and customized it to focus on the real issue impacting children of parents in high conflict custody disputes. In early 2022, Dr. Siegel introduced the Forensic "Parenting Focused" Psychological Evaluation.
A Forensic "Parenting Focused" Psychological Evaluation is a complex psychological evaluation and investigation of how the psychological functioning and understanding of each parent’s personality traits contribute to the on-going high conflict and how it impacts the child(ren).
All of this along with understanding the developmental needs of the child(ren) will help the evaluator compare and contrast how the parents function and communicate to provide a set of recommendations regarding co-parenting, decision making issues and potential need for any specific recommendations for each parent.
FORENSIC | consultation
Working in the role of a consultant, Dr. Siegel becomes part of your team helping you and your attorneys develop well-reasoned strategies regarding the child custody aspects of your case. Using current psychological and developmental research and more than 30 years of forensic and clinical experience, Dr. Siegel can guide and educate you and the team about the mental-health issues in your case. The goal is two-fold: to help the parent understand and feel more at-ease with the child custody evaluation and litigation process, and to help the team develop the legal theory and emotional themes to create a comprehensive case strategy.
Will Dr. Siegel review another evaluation that was done in a case? Yes, this review is conducted to assist an attorney in understanding is a previous evaluation was conducted ethically, employed well-researched and accepted methods of testing and data collection and if the results are presented in an unbiased form. This sort of review is not a new evaluation, rather it is a second opinion on the quality of the earlier evaluation to assess if it reaches reasonable and logical conclusions based on the data gathered and if the recommendations offered make sense.
Dr. Siegel assists attorneys with preparation of important witnesses for deposition and trial testimony, and on occasion will sit in on deposition or trial testimony to assist the attorney by providing real-time consultations, insights and adjustments, if necessary.
CLINICAL | psychotherapy
The core of Dr. Siegel's clinical practice is helping people. Whether recovering from emotional pain, disappointment and anger of divorce, stresses of daily life or helping parents and adolescents navigate difficult teen years, Dr. Siegel is committed to having his patients feel better and more emotionally supported. He gives them the opportunity to explore ideas and understand their thoughts, feelings and reactions in a safe and trusted environment while gaining practical alternatives to improve their lives and personal well being.
CLINICAL | diagnostic evaluations
As a Board Certified Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Siegel provides diagnostic assessments and evaluations for mental and emotional disorders in adults and adolescents. He assists psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and licensed professional counselors in developing treatment plans. Dr. Siegel will provide referrals if needed.
Selected Publications and Presentations
Comparing Apples to Apples: Current Research and the Evaluation of High Conflict Litigants in Custody Cases.
The MMPI-2 in High Conflict Custody Cases.
Licensing Board Complaints in Child Custody Practice
Should Your Adolescent Have a Say in Decision-Making?