1. (a) In General.

   1. (1) A licensee who provides services concerning a matter which the licensee knows or should know will be utilized in a legal proceeding, such as a child custody determination or a divorce, must comply with all applicable Board rules concerning forensic services regardless of whether the licensee is acting as a factual witness or an expert.
   2. (2) Licensees who engage in forensic services must have demonstrated appropriate knowledge of and competence in all underlying areas of psychology about which they provide such services.
   3. (3) All forensic opinions, reports, assessments, and recommendations rendered by a licensee must be based on information and techniques sufficient to provide appropriate substantiation for each finding.
   4. (4) A licensee who provides forensic services must comply with all other applicable Board rules and state and federal law relating to the underlying areas of psychology relating to those services.

2. (b) Limitation on Services.

   1. (1) A licensee who is asked to provide an opinion concerning an area or matter about which the licensee does not have the appropriate knowledge and competency to render a professional opinion shall decline to render that opinion.
   2. (2) A licensee who is asked to provide an opinion concerning a specific matter for which the licensee lacks sufficient information to render a professional opinion shall decline to render that opinion unless the required information is provided.
   3. (3) A licensee shall not render a written or oral opinion about the psychological characteristics of an individual without conducting an examination of the individual unless the opinion contains a statement that the licensee did not conduct an examination of the individual.
   4. (4) A written or oral opinion about the psychological characteristics of an individual rendered by a licensee who did not conduct an examination of that individual must contain clarification of the extent to which this limits the reliability and validity of the opinion and the conclusions and recommendations of the licensee.
   5. (5) When seeking or receiving court appointment for a forensic assessment, a licensee specifically avoids accepting both appointment for evaluation and therapeutic intervention for the same case. A licensee provides services in one but not both capacities in the same case.
3. (c) Describing the Nature of Services. Licensees who interview or examine an individual for purposes of providing forensic services must first inform the individual of the specific purpose of the interview or examination, the party on whose behalf they are performing the services, the use to which the information gathered will be put and who will have access to the results. If there are multiple parties, the psychologist must obtain written informed consent from all adult participants unless informed consent is precluded by court order. All participants must be made aware of the purpose and scope of the evaluation, who has requested the service, and who will be paying fees. Psychologists also inform parties on limits to confidentiality where the engagement involves testimony.

4. (d) Child Custody Evaluations.

   1. (1) The primary consideration in a child custody evaluation is to assess the individual and family factors that affect the best psychological interests of the child, who is the client. Other factors or specific factors may also be addressed given a specific forensic services engagement.
   2. (2) Child custody evaluations generally involve an assessment of the adults' capacity for parenting, an assessment of the psychological functioning, developmental needs, and wishes of the child, and the functional ability of each parent to meet such needs. Other socioeconomic factors, family, collateral and community resources may also be taken into secondary consideration.
   3. (3) The role of the psychologist in a child custody forensic engagement is one of a professional expert. The psychologist cannot function as an advocate and must retain impartiality and objectivity, regardless of whether retained by the court or a party to the divorce. The psychologist must not perform an evaluation where there has been a prior therapeutic relationship with the child or the child's immediate family members, unless required to do so by court order.
   4. (4) The scope of the evaluation is determined by the psychologist based on the referral question(s). Licensees must comprehensively perform the evaluation based on the scope of the referral, but not exceed the scope of the referral.

Source Note:The provisions of this §465.18 adopted to be effective June 3, 1999, 24 TexReg 4017; amended to be effective May 2, 2002, 27 TexReg 3558.