Courts, lawyers and families sometimes need an independent, expert view of a person’s mental health, functioning or parenting capacity. Psycho-legal assessment is a specialised area, distinct from therapy, with its own standards of evidence, objectivity and reporting.
OneBodyMind is home to a practitioner with specialised expertise in legal and forensic mental health — assessments for family law and criminal justice contexts — and accreditation as a mediator and Family Dispute Resolution practitioner.
A forensic or psycho-legal assessment is not treatment. It involves structured interviews, review of records and, where appropriate, standardised measures, and produces a written report addressed to the referring party’s questions. The assessor’s duty is to the court or process, not to either side. Family Dispute Resolution is separate again: a structured mediation to help separating parents reach arrangements, with the section 60I certificate process where relevant.
Practitioners choose the approach that fits you — see each profile for the approaches they use, or read the plain-language guide to types of therapy. Further reading: Family Relationships Online — Family Dispute Resolution.
Solicitors, courts, agencies and individuals. Contact us with a brief outline of the matter and we will direct your enquiry to the right practitioner.
Generally no. Assessments and reports for legal purposes are privately funded or funded by the referring party; fees are quoted before work begins.
Usually it is better that they don't. A treating practitioner has a therapeutic relationship with you; courts generally prefer an independent assessor, which is what this service provides.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency. OneBodyMind is not a crisis service. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636.