Custody Evaluations

And court-involved therapy services for |
#OakTreeFamily

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Starting at $200 PER HOUR

No waitlist for custody evaluations and

court-involved therapy

About Us

Oak Tree Family Assessment and Treatment opened its doors in February 2025. Founded by Dr. Valerie Hale and Dr. Todd Dunn, our clinic is built on over 50 years of experience working in high-conflict family law settings. Our goal is to help families and Utah courts focus on children and their best interests by providing balanced custody evaluations and court-involved therapy services based on AFCC guidelines. We also provide mental health services and workshops designed to help children, adults, couples, and families build confidence, strengthen connection, and promote well-being.

The Oak Tree Family

Located conveniently in Millcreek, Oak Tree Family Assessment and Treatment is committed to delivering balanced and thorough custody evaluations and court-involved therapy services to Utah families and courts.  Our team includes experienced professionals who follow guidelines set by AFCC and family law research. We prioritize quick service with custody evaluations that can begin immediately and be completed within two to three months. Our clinic also offers no-waitlist access to therapeutic services, ensuring that families receive prompt support when needed.

Custody Evaluations

We conduct balanced, thorough custody evaluations (or parent plan evaluations) for Utah families involved in custody litigation. Evaluations can start immediately and are generally completed within two to four months. Fees range from $200 to $350 per hour depending on your evaluator’s experience.  


Find out more about about the Custody Evaluation Process

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Court-Involved Therapy

We provide therapy services for individuals involved in court-related family matters, with no waitlist, ensuring timely access to mental health support.  We also work with children, adults, couples, and families who are not involved in custody litigation.

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Other Court-Involved Evaluations

Parent Time Evaluations, Limited Scope Evaluations, and Brief Focused Assessments are all considered Utah Rule 4-902 evaluations. These evaluations provide the court information on key issues to help with settlement or adjudication. These evaluations do not lead to custody recommendations because they lack the breadth and depth of full Utah Rule 4-903 evaluations. 

A Forensic Psychological Evaluation provides the court information on a parent’s psychological functioning (e.g., stresses, coping strategies, cognitive abilities, relationship skills, etc.). These evaluations often address how a parent’s psychological functioning may impact their parenting ability.  


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FAQ

  • What is a custody evaluation?

    A custody evaluation is designed to provide the court with important information about you, the other parent, and your children so it can make decisions about what is best for your children. The custody evaluation process is designed to give both parents equal opportunity to be considered for custody and parent-time. However, throughout the process, the best interests of the children are the highest priority.

  • How much does a custody evaluation cost?

    The total cost of a custody evaluation ranges from around $7,000 to $18,000 depending on the evaluator’s retainer and fees, level of cooperation from both parties, and the complexity of the case. An initial retainer is always required prior to beginning an evaluation, which can range from $3,000 to $5,600. Our hourly rate ranges from $200 to $350 an hour.

  • How long does a custody evaluation take?

    Custody evaluations can last about three to six months beginning from the initial appointment date.

  • What can I expect during the custody evaluation?

    An evaluation will usually consist of the following steps:

    • Interviews with each parent, alone
    • Interviews with each adult sharing a home with the children, alone
    • Interviews with each child alone (usually for children over the age of 4)
    • Psychological testing for all adult participants in the evaluation
    • Observations of each parent with the children
    • Review of school, psychological, medical, police, DCFS, and other records
    • Review of available court documents including pleadings, depositions, and answers to interrogatories, as well as other available records as needed
    • A home visit at both parents’ residences
    • Interviews with collateral sources (teachers, therapists, etc..)
    • And, potentially, a referral to another professional for specialized testing when information is needed that is beyond our scope of practice to obtain (e.g., drug testing)

  • How do I get on your schedule for a custody evaluation?

    In order to place you on the schedule, we will need the following:

    • A court order signed by a judge that appoints Oak Tree Family Assessment and Treatment (and/or the specific evaluator) to perform your evaluation
    • A completed Financial Agreement from both participants, initialed by the party concerned and signed by themselves and their attorney.
    • A completed Procedures Agreement from both participants, initialed by the party concerned and signed by themselves and their attorney
    • The full retainer as outlined in the financial agreement

  • What if I live out of state?

    Out of state parents travel to our office for most evaluation meetings. Some individual adult interviews can occur via Zoom. Special arrangements can also be made for parents and/or children who live out of state or far from the Salt Lake City area in terms of block scheduling. Payment of travel costs is outlined in the custody evaluation order.

  • We’ve reached the end of the evaluation. Now what?

    At the conclusion of the appointments, we will send an email to the court and counsel letting them know that the evaluator is in the process of collecting collateral data and that they are ready to schedule the settlement conference. At that point, a mediator, counsel, and the evaluator work to schedule the conference. At the settlement conference, evaluation findings and recommendations are discussed. Generally, the mediator, counsel, parents, and the evaluator meet via Zoom for this meeting. No written report is prepared for the settlement conference, as the evaluator’s information is shared orally.

  • What if we cannot come to an agreement after the settlement conference?

    If you do not settle your differences after you have received the evaluator’s input at the settlement conference, counsel and clients have the option of choosing to proceed to trial. If counsel decides that they would like the evaluator to prepare a formal trial report in anticipation of your case being heard at trial, they will need to submit a request in writing. A trial report retainer will need to be submitted before the report can be written. The trial report retainer ranges from $3,000 to $7,000.


    We understand that the custody evaluation process can be very stressful. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call our office at 801-485-0400 or email us at oaktreefamily@gmail.com. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00.