At SD Family Services, Inc. (SDFS), we provide comprehensive court-involved evaluations and reports conducted by licensed mental health professionals with expertise in family law, child custody, and co-parenting disputes. Our evaluations are designed to offer objective, clinically informed insights to support decision-making in family court proceedings.
Important: Before requesting the appointment of an SDFS clinician, attorneys or parties must contact us to confirm availability and ensure that our service agreement is included in any court order.
Supervised Visitation Reports
What is a supervised visitation report?
Our clinicians provide court-ordered supervised visitation in neutral community settings. During these sessions, they observe how parents and children interact, assess parenting skills, emotional responsiveness, and other areas the Court has specified. After the visits, the clinician prepares a written report summarizing their observations and any important findings, which can be used by the Court in making informed decisions about custody, visitation, or parenting arrangements.
Child Custody Evaluations / Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Reports
We offer child custody evaluations and serve as Guardian ad Litem (GAL) in Massachusetts for both Category E and Category F designations. Our clinicians conduct in-depth investigations related to:
- Parenting plans
- Physical and legal custody disputes
- Parental relocation
- Allegations of parental unfitness
Each custody assessment includes interviews with parents and children, collateral contacts, records review, and observed interactions.
Parenting Plan Consultant / Co-Parenting Consultant Services
What is a parenting plan consultant?
We serve as neutral consultants hired jointly by both parties to provide guidance and recommendations on parenting disputes and plan development, outside of the courtroom. This collaborative process includes:
- Joint and individual consultations
- Possible child interviews and collateral calls
- Written feedback with actionable recommendations
- Structured meetings with parties and attorneys
This service is ideal for high-conflict co-parents seeking resolution without court intervention.
Guardian for Therapeutic Privilege
When access to a child’s therapy records or clinician input is requested by professionals like GALs or Parenting Coordinators, the Court may appoint a Guardian for Therapeutic Privilege. The guardian assesses whether psychotherapist-patient privilege should be waived in the child’s best interest.
Our clinicians conduct these investigations with sensitivity and adherence to legal and clinical standards.
Voice of the Child(ren) Report
What is a Voice of the Child Report?
This child-focused report gives older children (typically age 12+) a chance to share their thoughts, wishes, and concerns as parents navigate separation or divorce. The report includes:
- Review of relevant family background materials
- Brief sessions with both parents
- 2–3 independent meetings with each child
- A summary of the child’s expressed views (not a psychological evaluation)
This report supports co-parenting decisions by providing insight into the child’s lived experience—often increasing compliance with post-separation parenting plans.
Summary of Available Report Services:
| Supervised Visitation Reports | Observes and documents parent-child visits | ✔️ Yes |
| Custody Evaluations / GAL Reports | Assesses parenting capacity and best interests of the child | ✔️ Yes |
| Parenting Plan Consultant | Offers neutral, out-of-court recommendations for co-parenting | ❌ Not required |
| Guardian for Therapeutic Privilege | Investigates whether to waive therapy confidentiality in court | ✔️ Yes |
| Voice of the Child(ren) Report | Shares child’s wishes with parents and legal team | ❌ Not required |
Need a court-related report or evaluation?
Contact us at admin@sdfsmass.com before including an appointment in a Court order.
Frequently Asked Questions
SD Family Services, Inc. is a unique group practice with a multidisciplinary approach to clinical and forensic services.
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Client Testimonials
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for providing the Guide to Aligning Professionals that you recently offered in the latest AFCC newsletter.
I am a therapist and my husband is a family law attorney, and we have lamented for years on how difficult it is to get professionals to collaborate for the good of children and families in these types of cases. he guide is well-written and quite comprehensive. The summary tables, definitions of terms and roles, and sample language for court orders were great pieces to include. I also appreciated the acknowledgement that many cases do not present with adequate resources to include the multiple professionals that would make everyone’s roles easier to clarify. That is the situation nearly all of the time here in outstate Nebraska, where my husband and I live and practice. We often struggle with the silo approach and with dual roles that muddy the waters. I plan to keep this guide handy and use it to illustrate points, as needed along the way, with parents and fellow therapists.
I printed your guide just now and plan to read it at home tonight and share it with my husband. Here’s the guide.
Melissa Adams, LICSW
On behalf of the Society of Clinical & Child Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP) leadership, one of the goals for our organization was to make SCCAP more relevant and valuable for our members – a reason to stay engaged with us beyond the student years. Our vision centered around offering impactful education, featuring content with real-world applicability, and inviting credible subject matter experts who not only share their expertise but also have A++ delivery. Dr. Deck’s presentation on therapeutic work with children and families of divorce embodied everything we had hoped for—and truly exceeded our expectations for the webinar program. The way you commanded the audience and delivered such practical, insightful content was exactly what our webinar program needed and I think is a huge boost for our members.
Dr. Adam Lewin
I had the great pleasure of working with Premela in her new clinical mediation program. Not only is Premela an excellent mediator, she is also kind enough to devote her time and energy into developing new programming to support families and children in high conflict situations. Her ability to organize the thoughts and conflicting energies of her clients is very impactful and I am exceedingly grateful to have had the chance to learn from her techniques. I would recommend Premela and her practice for any matters of family law and/or clinical work. She knows what she’s doing, that’s for sure.
Columbia University Teachers College
Premela is amazing. Do not hesitate to use them. Thank you Premela for everything
Mike P.
Premela’s team is knowledgeable, professional, and respectful. 10 out of 10.
Matt W.
We are so lucky to have SD Family services in our community! The services and support they provide to families are unmatched.
Nora M.
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