To point out the obvious, anyone who conducts a Google search of Dr. Abrams and his work will undoubtedly find a series of reviews, mostly ranging from bad to scathing. So why do the courts continue to hire him for custody evaluations? Frankly, working as a custody evaluator makes more enemies than friends.

A divorce is a highly personal legal battle. And, in a high-conflict divorce, custody is one of the most hotly-contested topics of that battle. When parents argue over who will raise the children, a custody evaluator is assigned. Their recommendation of which parent is best suited to make decisions in the children’s best interest doesn’t please everyone. On a good day, one parent will be happy with Dr. Abrams’ report. On a bad day, both parents will be unhappy with his conclusions. 

In general, those who are satisfied with the custody evaluation results focus on the work of raising their children, while those who are furious with the report vent their frustrations online. Some will even go further and file ethical complaints or license complaints against the psychologist. In fact, conducting custody evaluations is the second most frequently cited reason for why psychologists and psychiatrists are ethically disciplined or lose their license. (The first is inappropriate relationships with clients.)

With over 20 years of evaluations behind him, Dr. Abrams has a record of conducting himself in a highly competent and ethical manner.