Parenting Capacity Evaluation (PCE) seeks to answer questions such as,

• "Is this adult able to care for a child?"
• "Is this adult at risk for abusing or neglecting a child?"
• "What are this individual's parenting strengths and weaknesses?"
• "Is this individual capable of collaborating with another parent in a child's best interests?"
  

If the question is,

• "Should this individual be granted primary residential responsibility for Suzie?"

Then a Child-Centered Family Evaluation (CCFE) is necessary

A PCE is a relatively brief process. It is often completed in ten (10) hours or less and with relative efficiency because only one person is involved.

The particular elements included in a PCE will vary with each unique evaluation, but generally include:

• Review of  records (e.g., court documents, past evaluations)
• Individual interview(s)
• Completion of standardized psychological and/or parenting capacity instruments
  
• Preparation of a summary report

The full cost of a PCE is determined by the total time anticipated at the outset multiplied by Dr. Garber's hourly forensic fee. Please contact Dr. Garber directly to determine applicable rates

As with all court-related services, the full anticipated costs are due in advance as a retainer. Costs are subtracted from retainer funds as they are incurred. Should additional funds be necessary, all such funds must be paid in full before the final summary report can be released. Any excess funds will be returned upon delivery of the final summary report or the relevant litigation, depending on the specifics of the case.

Dr. Garber will always provide a statement accounting for costs incurred but will not bill any third party insurance entity. Read more here

If you intend to seek insurance reimbursement yourself, please be advised that:

• All forensic services including PCE are billed under procedure code 90899 ("unlisted psychiatric service").
• The individual participating in PCE is named as the "patient" or "client"
• PCE may not yield a diagnosis code.
• Inclusion of a valid diagnosis code for the purpose of insurance reimbursement may needlessly raise issues in court.

Dr. Garber accepts payment in the form of cash, check and credit/debit cards via PayPal

The answer depends on the circumstances that first prompt the evaluation:

• Individuals who are court ordered to complete an evaluation may not have access to the summary report, may not have the choice to refuse to disclose the report to the court and/or may be obliged to deliver the summary report to the court regardless of the outcome. Be certain to consult with legal counsel to determine which condition applies to you.
• Individuals who choose to complete a PCE (e.g., at the recommendation of legal counsel and without court order) will receive the summary report and can choose whether or not to introduce it into litigation unless and until the court demands that it be produced.

Child-Centered Family Evaluation is much narrower than a PCE in that it looks at each parent's capacity to care for a specific child and is far broader in that it considers many factors simultaneously (e.g., the quality of the co-parenting relationship, physical environment).

PCE is not incompatible with CCFE. A professional conducting a systems evaluation would likely find the PCE summary report quite useful.

In most cases, Dr. Garber can only provide one service to any particular individual. This means that once Dr. Garber has conducted a Parenting Capacity Evaluation, he is likely NOT eligible to then conduct a CCFE.

Read about the many roles a psychologist can play in child-centered litigation here