We had to go through a custody evaluation because we couldn't agree on placement. Our evaluator was Dr. Patel in Portland - honestly she was fair and thorough. She spent time with both of us separately AND with the kids, which I appreciated. It cost $3k (split with ex) but it saved us from a messy trial. If anyone's facing this, ask for recommendations in your area.
Dr. Patel sounds legit. How in-depth did she get with the kids? My buddy went through one and the evaluator barely spent time with his oldest who's the one most affected by the custody split.
This is helpful because I'm probably heading toward an eval and I'm dreading it. Good to know that a thorough one is actually worth the money/hassle. Did she give recommendations that both of you actually agreed on?
The separate time with each parent is key - that's what separates a real evaluation from just checking boxes. Sounds like she actually gave a damn.
Sign in to join the conversation.
3k split is actually reasonable for what you get. We paid almost double because our evaluator had to do like 5 sessions each. Worth it though - saved us from fighting about placement for years.