I have witnessed kindness never before seen as neighbors taking care of neighbors. I have seen generosity as people reach out to those who are marginalized or threatened due to lack of work, lack of food, or other trauma. I have seen humanity set aside their politics, religion, bigotry, bias, and bitterness in order to help and comfort others. If anything long-lasting comes out of this pandemic, pray God let it be that when mankind faces its greatest challenges, the goodness, mercy, and integrity of our nature shines forth.

I must start by saying that I am somewhat of a Luddite when it comes to technology. I am smart enough to figure things out eventually but computers and programming languages that do not come naturally to me. However, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. With the help of some very intelligent people around me, I figured out how to utilize WebEx in order to meet with my clients. We developed an evaluation protocol that could be done by WebEx meeting. I would do the interview and administer the Rorschach inkblots to the client through the WebEx platform. My administrator then read the paper/pencil testing portion of the evaluation to the client and recorded the client’s response on the test sheet. For the most part, when it worked best, the client could see the response being filled in on the test sheet.

We then had to convince state agencies that this was an alternative method to evaluate their clients. This was not easy since state agencies tend to amend or change policies with the speed of molasses flowing in the middle of winter. However, several courageous administrators from at least three counties understood the remarkably unique nature of our current circumstances and gave permission to perform evaluations in the new manner. Because of this, while the workload was significantly lower than normal, we were able to provide some evaluations to various agencies and courts.

In the meantime, plans were made to reopen our offices in a healthy and appropriate manner as soon as possible. We developed a protocol that, for the most part, kept a safe 6 foot distance between all parties in the office. The client is at one end of the table that has tissue paper laid down. All the testing materials they would need are available within arm’s reach. I then sit at the other end of the table and provide instruction on how to complete the testing protocols. The client is provided one set of Rorschach ink blot cards, while I used a separate set to help determine where and how the clients saw the images that they saw. For IQ testing, several sets of blocks, which have been gathered over the years of test purchases, are utilized. At the end of the evaluation, the set of blocks used by the individual are put into bleach water and another set is provided for the next client.

1. The evaluation begins the moment you contact the psychologist’s office.

Most psychologists work in either independent practices or small group businesses. This means that the evaluating psychologist will have a great deal of contact with the office personnel, especially with the office manager. When you call to make your first appointment, understand that it is very likely that the office manager or the administrative assistant will speak with the psychologist about their perception of you.

If you are flexible, polite, and respectful, this will reflect positively on you. If you are insistent and demanding, that also will get back to the psychologist. For example, if you insist that you have a specific appointment time, this indicates that you are not considerate of others and the constrained schedules most people have to manage. By working with the office manager to minimize the inconvenience to both yourself and the examining psychologist, this would be considered a positive impression since it suggests that you would be capable of working in a mediated manner throughout the rest of the custody process.