Medico-legal Assessments

Care & Contact (Custody & Access) Assessment

Mia Boon works in cases where there is a complex dispute involving minor children. This may involve ascertaining which parental home would serve as primary residence for the child/children following a divorce. Or the evaluation may be related to other family concerns and problems, such as the adoption or fostering of children, violence, sexual or physical abuse or psychiatric illness in a parent, or any other issue which requires evaluation of parenting capacity and the psychological wellbeing of children.

A Care & Contact (Custody & Access) assessment typically involves the following:

• Psycho-diagnostic assessment of the child/children
• Psychological profiling of the parents/caregivers
• Parenting Capacity assessment of the parents/caregivers
• Home visits
• Consultations with collateral sources

We also provide pre- and post-divorce counselling to all family members, to assist them in optimally adjusting to their new family structures. In these complex family situations, it is especially helpful to have a team of psychologists working together. Our Associate Psychologists are equipped to provide support during times of separation and divorce and other family adjustment matters, and form co-therapy teams where useful. Our multi-disciplinary approach has been especially structured to cater for the assessment, treatment and management of complex family situations, to ensure best outcomes.

Work Capacity Assessment

Health-related issues more generally, and mental illness more specifically, can seriously affect workplace adjustment. This may be reflected in loss of productivity; loss of efficiency; greater absenteeism; interpersonal conflict, as well as possible anger and hostility towards management and co-workers, and even customers. Psychiatric illnesses are increasingly being recognized as an important cause of work impairment, probably because their prevalence is rising due to greater awareness of their impact. Psychological adjustment to chronic illness may also pose a serious problem for work capacity.

Our team of psychologists are able to assess whether the health impairment (physical and/or mental) significantly affects the employee’s activities of daily living, social functioning, concentration, adaptation, motivation, efficiency and accuracy, as well as their overall work capacity. This assessment can therefore result in pertinent and effective recommendations.