Court Ordered/Legal Evaluations of Youth & Young Adults

Legal and court-ordered evaluations are comprehensive, containing every component of a full psychological assessment. (Click on Psychological Assessments for more information.) However, particular emphasis is placed upon understanding traumatic and disruptive life experiences and their connection to reactive behaviors, symptoms, and sense of self. Using a thorough understanding of the whole person, Dr. Turner identifies methods of treatment that are likely to be most effective.

Common reasons for a child, teen, or very young adult to have a legal or court-ordered evaluation:

• The youth has been charged with involvement in illegal activity and the court would like to determine psychological status, prognosis, and psychological and academic needs.
• The youth has been charged with involvement in illegal activity and their defense attorney or their parents/legal guardian need an evaluation to assist in presenting mitigating factors, pinpointing emotional, therapeutic, and academic needs, and understanding why the alleged illegal behavior may have occurred.
• The youth has been removed from their home due to alleged involvement in illegal behavior OR for their own protection and they are having difficulties. In this case, an evaluation can be used to determine why ongoing care, medication, therapy, or academic interventions have not brought about the expected relief or improvement. The evaluation provides new and modified treatment plans and recommendations in light of test and interview findings.

Legal and court ordered evaluations can be quite useful to staff who work with detained youth. The evaluations provide an efficient way for staff to get information about:

• Previously unknown and/or undocumented history
• Ongoing emotional needs and the origins of such needs
• Diagnosis and its implications
• Learning disorders or other academic issues that youth may be struggling with
• Therapeutic needs that can, if met, maximize healing

Dr. Turner is committed to working with children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing legal trouble or removal from the home for reasons of protection. She is mindful of both the fragility and the remarkable resiliency of these youth. Dr. Turner recognizes that young people with legal difficulties have often had to cope with acute and chronically stressful circumstances and traumatic experiences. Youth in difficulty can find a deeply empathetic and compassionate ally in Dr. Turner. She has the highest level of commitment to reaching out and helping young people who are in trouble. Dr. Turner is interested in helping youth realize positive “turning points” for themselves.

© 2009 Dr. Eva Turner  | All rights reserved.