In a family dispute, psychological examination addresses specific characteristics of relationships and the child's needs. It does not replace the court's decision on residence, contact arrangements or parental rights.
Subject of examination
- Parent-child relationships and interaction
- The child's age-related and individual characteristics
- Information about the family and conditions of contact
Sample questions for the expert
- What are the psychological characteristics of the child's relationship with each adult being assessed?
- Which characteristics of interaction are relevant to the questions posed?
- Which circumstances may influence the child's attitudes and statements?
- Which limitations concerning participants and materials affect the conclusions?
The final questions are formulated according to the objects and circumstances of the particular task.
What to prepare
- The court's questions and available case materials
- Information about age, family composition and contact history
- Documents from educational and other organisations relevant to the task
- Previous reports and information about assessments already carried out
How the examination is conducted
Methods and participants are determined by age and the subject of examination. Where possible, interviews, observation of interaction, results of methods and documents are compared. Assessment of one side is not presented as a full assessment of the entire family.
Scope and limitations
Diagnoses, guilt, deprivation of rights and final contact arrangements are not matters for independent psychological determination. Sensitive documents and a child's data are submitted only by the agreed method.
What the deliverable records
The conclusions show the psychological grounds for the answers, assessment conditions and limitations arising from absent participants or missing materials.
Cost and terms
from RUB 80,000. The exact price depends on the volume of materials, the number of persons and questions, the need for in-person participation and urgency.
How to prepare a contact chronology without questioning the child again
For preliminary consideration of a family situation, a calm chronology of events prepared by adults from existing documents is useful. Its purpose is to identify periods and changes in contact conditions, rather than collect new statements from the child to support one party's position.
What to record in the chronology
- Significant changes in residence, contact arrangements and daily routine.
- Dates of previous assessments and who participated in them.
- Relevant approaches to educational or other organisations.
- Information about which documents support an event and what is known only from an adult's account.
If the parties' assessments differ, it is preferable to present both descriptions and identify their sources. Conflicting information need not be artificially reduced to one undisputed account. This lets the specialist see which circumstances are documented, which need clarification and which cannot be checked from the submitted set.
Do not rehearse answers with the child in advance, ask the child to repeat a disputed account for a recording or independently administer tests found online. Preparing an enquiry involves preserving existing materials and organisational information; the method of direct assessment is determined by the task and the conditions in which it will be conducted.
Previous results also help establish which questions have already been asked and which methods used. The report must distinguish data from a specific assessment from information about other periods of life. This helps avoid drawing conclusions about the entire history of family relationships from a single episode or one-sided account.