FORENSIC EVALUATIONS

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Family forensic evaluations require evaluators to consider multiple sources of information to assess at least two people - a child and a parent - and in some cases, multiple parents/caregivers and children.  At the heart of all family forensic evaluations is the best interests of the child.

A Parenting Capacity Evaluation is a type of family evaluation typically requested when a child has been removed from the child's parents or caregivers due to concerns about a parent's ability to care for the child. Sometimes parents are struggling with mental health or substance use issues, or they have engaged in neglectful or abusive behavior. In these evaluations, Dr. Gilligan assesses the fit between the child's basic needs and the parent’s ability to meet them. Dr. Gilligan utilizes a framework focused on the parent's ability to meet a child's basic emotional, physical, and developmental needs, which includes child, parental, and social/environment factors that can impact parenting. Dr. Gilligan relies on multiple sources of data to assess the parent-child fit including extensive interviews with the parent, interviews with the child if appropriate, parent-child observations, collateral interviews, administration of applicable psychological/parenting testing, and a records review. She has been equally retained by the Department for Children and Families as well as by counsel representing parents. Dr. Gilligan offers information about a parents' strengths and weaknesses and provides recommendations to improve parenting.  She follows the APA Guidelines in Child Protection Matters. 

A Parenting Plan Evaluation, sometimes referred to as a Custody Evaluation, is a type of family forensic evaluation that is typically requested during a divorce when parents are unable to agree to the division of parenting responsibilities and parenting time. Dr. Gilligan is appointed by the Court in these matters and typically addresses the areas outline in 15 V.S.A. Section 665. Unlike a Parenting Capacity Evaluation, a Parenting Plan Evaluation requires that two parents be compared with a focus on the best psychological interests of the child. In these evaluations, it is already assumed that parents are effective parents, though often times parents in these matters raise allegations about the other parent's deficits. Dr. Gilligan has received training through William James College as well as ABFP in conducting these evaluations. Given that these are the most challenging forensic evaluations to conduct, Dr. Gilligan frequently consults with colleagues on these matters. 

A Reinstatement of Parental Rights Evaluation may be requested by either the Department for Children and Families or by a parent's or child's attorney when a parent whose parental rights have been terminated seeks to have them reinstated for the purpose of reunification with his/her child. This evaluation is directed by DCF Policy 126 which requires specific areas be evaluated to help the Court determine if reinstatement would be in the child's best interest.

A Visitation Evaluation is a specific type of family evaluation that helps assess issues in visitation following a divorce. In this matters, one parent may allege the other parent is interfering with parenting time by limiting or withholding contact with the child. These evaluations require an understanding of the research on parenting behaviors that can undermine parent-child contact. People sometimes refer to these issues as parental alienation, though there is a broad spectrum of parental interfering behaviors that may better account for the alleged interference such as gatekeeping and underlying parent-child relationship issues.