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Forensic Evaluations Performed by Michael Brock
Substance Abuse/Driver License Evaluation:
If a person has lost his license due to one or more convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol,
he or she is required to complete an extensive evaluation by a mental health professional prior to
receiving a hearing by the Driver Assessment and Appeal Division. In addition to addressing all of the
factors required by the DAAD
, Michael
Brock:
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Administers the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test.
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Arranges for the 10-Panel drug test with integrity variables now required by the DAAD and included
in the fee.
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Offers a referral to a qualified attorney if requested by the evaluated party.
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Provides the party with two copies of the extended write up, one for submission to the DAAD and
one for his own records, as well as retaining hardcopy for his own files. Each copy of the
evaluation also contains a copy of the drug test results and any treatment records required by the
DAAD.
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Substance Abuse Evaluations may also be ordered by the court or requested by the client for other purposes.
The cost of this highly professional evaluation is $250.00
Court Ordered Psychological Evaluations:
Michael Brock performs psychological evaluations on individuals referred by the court or by their own
request. These evaluations generally focus on the mental health functioning of a parent or child and
involve a four-hour interview with psychosocial history, psychological testing, review of documents,
and collateral contacts. Test interpretation and write up usually take 2½ -3 hours. A five to ten page
report is issued to the court and party or counsel at the completion of the evaluation. The fee for these
evaluations is $750 without complications.
By court order or expressed mutual consent of the parties to a custody dispute, Michael Brock will assess
the Best Interest factors according to Michigan Compiled Law 722.23
, in light of current mental health forensic literature and standards of practice. A child custody
evaluation consists of:
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Extensive interviews with all parties to the dispute, and when appropriate, interviews with spouses
or significant others, including psychosocial history, history of the relationship with the child’s
other parent and the duration and nature of the current conflict.
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Psychological testing of the parties to the dispute and, where appropriate, significant others or
current spouses.
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Extensive interview of the child with the parties to the dispute, including observation of the
interaction between the parties, child and significant other.
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Individual interview with the child and the opportunity for the child to express his or her views
and preferences.
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A review of pertinent documents and reports.
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Contact with important collateral sources.
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Home visits when necessary.
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Assessment of domestic violence and allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
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A typical custody evaluation takes 4-6 weeks to complete, and involves 14 hours of face time, 10 hours
of research and 6 hours to write up. Cost of the evaluations begins
at $3,000.00 without complications, such as forensic interviews of children suspected of being
abused.
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Parenting Time Evaluations:
These evaluations usually involve the same elements as
a custody evaluation and the costs are also the same. The recommendation is
confined to parenting time, and does not address the physical or legal custody of the child.
Forensic Interviews of children suspected of being abused:
By court order, request of an authorized parent or parents, or at his own discretion during the conduct
of a child custody evaluation, Michael Brock performs videotaped forensic interviews of the child
suspected of being abused in accordance with Michigan Protocol
and the current state of the art.
The essence of the forensic interview is a systematic process of obtaining evidence
from a child in narrative form in which the child is neither led nor coerced and preserving the
interview in order to:
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Establish an early record of the child’s disclosure or denial of abuse.
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Demonstrate that proper protocol was used and the child was not led or coerced into disclosure
or denial.
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Facilitate the resolution of a civil or criminal court case by making the interview available to
the court and counsel for both sides.
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It is also Michael Brock's policy to record the interviews with the accused and the accuser if the parties
make themselves available and are advised by counsel to cooperate. Fees for forensic interviewing begin at
$1,000,00, and involve 2 hours of taped interviews, 4 hours of tape review, 2 hours reviewing collateral
materials, and a 2-hour write-up.
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Mediation/Parenting Coordination of Child Custody Disputes:
Mediation is often a more cost effective way to resolve a low to medium conflict dispute. No report is
made unless the parties reach agreement. The parenting coordinator is essentially a mediator who, by
agreement of the parties can make minor decisions for the parties and recommendations to the court and
counsel. The fee for this service is $100.00 per hour.
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CHILD CUSTODY ACT OF 1970 (EXCERPT) Act 91 of
1970
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722.23 "Best interests of the child" defined. Sec. 3. |
As used in this act, "best interests of the child"
means the sum total of the following factors to be considered, evaluated, and determined by the
court:
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The love, affection, and other emotional ties existing between the parties involved and the child.
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The capacity and disposition of the parties involved to give the child love, affection, and guidance
and to continue the education and raising of the child in his or her religion or creed, if any.
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| (c) |
The capacity and disposition of the parties involved to provide the child with food, clothing, medical
care or other remedial care recognized and permitted under the laws of this state in place of medical
care, and other material needs.
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The length of time the child has lived in a stable, satisfactory environment, and the desirability of
maintaining continuity.
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The permanence, as a family unit, of the existing or proposed custodial home or homes.
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| (f) |
The moral fitness of the parties involved.
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| (g) |
The mental and physical health of the parties involved.
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| (h) |
The home, school, and community record of the child.
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| (i) |
The reasonable preference of the child, if the court considers the child to be of sufficient
age to express preference.
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| (j) |
The willingness and ability of each of the parties to facilitate and encourage a close and
continuing parent-child relationship between the child and the other parent or the child and
the parents.
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| (k) |
Domestic violence, regardless of whether the violence was directed against or witnessed by the
child.
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| (l) |
Any other factor considered by the court to be relevant to a particular child custody dispute.
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http://www.michigan.gov/documents/FIA-Pub779_13054_7.pdf
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Michigan State Substance-abuse-evaluation.pdf
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