Our Services

Guardian and Litem

A Guardian ad Litem is a professional who is appointed by the Courts for the purpose of making recommendations that are in the best interest of the child. Dr. Archer has been appointed as a Guardian ad Litem in approximately 60 different cases in the last 5 years alone representing the needs of almost 100 children – many of whom had special needs.

As part of her duties as a Guardian ad Litem, Dr. Archer meets with individually with the parents and child, and typically will observe their interactions and the home environments. She will review any provided documents and speak with any relevant professionals or other individuals who are familiar with the child. Her training as a child psychologist in addition to her more recent training as a nurse has resulted in her having the unique ability to be effective when working with families where one or more children may have special needs – be it medical, developmental or psychological in nature. Recommendations are provided either verbally or through a written report.

Therapy and Consultation

Being involved in a legal proceeding, whether as a defendant, parent or child, can be an emotionally gut wrenching experience. Individuals in these situations are frequently dealing with significant life changing events while simultaneously attempting to make decisions that will have life-long consequences. The stress and resulting “emotional roller coaster” is often only exacerbated by the lack of understanding for how “the system” works. It is not at all uncommon to struggle with feelings of hopelessness, victimization, persecution, guilt, anxiety and/or depression when faced with such overwhelming circumstances. Given Dr. Archer’s years of experience working in the different court systems, she is particularly adept at helping clients make sense of what is happening to them, guiding them to explore what different options are available to them, or assisting them in developing more appropriate coping strategies as they work towards trying to obtain the best outcome possible.

Psychological Evaluations

Psychological evaluations are administered for a variety of reasons. Depending on the circumstances and referral question, they can provide a wealth of information about an individual’s level of emotional and cognitive functioning. They can also provide treatment recommendations, and are frequently used when providing interventions and treatment. At a minimum, comprehensive psychological evaluations should include an extensive clinical interview, psychological testing, and relevant collateral information. Collateral information may include interviews with either family members or involved professionals, or a review of available documentation such as school records, hospital records, and police reports.

Types of Psychological Evaluations

Criminal Court

Psychological evaluations are often requested within the criminal court for purposes of assessing a defendant’s competency to proceed. Referencing the factors set forth in Florida Statute 916.12, the defendant is assessed as to his or her appreciation of the charges and the range and nature of possible penalties, his or her understanding as to the adversarial nature of the proceedings and to assist in their defense, and his or her capacity to manifest appropriate courtroom behavior and to testify in a relevant manner. Given the potential ramifications of a Guilty verdict, additional attention must be placed on assessing whether or not the defendant is malingering, or intentionally feigning any cognitive or mental health symptoms in an effort to avoid prosecution. Dr. Archer has undergone the required specialized training for completing these evaluations, and routinely is assigned by the courts to complete such evaluations.

Psychological evaluations are also sought on occasion when children are called to testify as witnesses. In these cases, the child has either allegedly been a victim of a criminal act (ie. Sexual abuse), or has allegedly witnessed a criminal act (ie. Domestic violence). With the understanding that the child has often been traumatized as a result of what he or she may have experienced, the decision to place a child in the witness chair is often controversial. In such cases, psychological evaluation of the child is often requested for purposes of ascertaining the child’s understanding and emotional expectations of confronting the defendant in an open courtroom, and what measures can be put into place for purposes of minimizing any potential resulting emotional trauma. Dr. Archer has completed a few hundred of these evaluations, and pays particular attention not only to the emotional harm that the child might experience at the time of testimony, but also to any possible emotional fall out that may occur once the trial is completed.

Dependency Court

Psychological evaluations are frequently used in Dependency Court for purposes of assessing whether or not a parent has gained sufficient insight into the reasons for his or her child being removed from his or her care, and if the parent has benefitted from the provided services. In these cases, independent evaluations may be sought when a parent is not in agreement with the Department of Children and Families’ stated goal of seeking to terminate his or her parental rights. Relatives may also seek independent evaluations when they are requesting to have children placed into their care over the objections of the Department of Children and Families.

Dr. Archer has spent many years working in the Dependency Court system, and is extremely familiar with the dynamics and underlying guidelines and statutes that guide this very emotional and heart wrenching setting.

Educational Assessments

With the understanding that no one ever wants to see a child struggle unnecessarily in the school environment, psycho-educational evaluations can make a huge difference in a child’s life. These evaluations are often the first step towards providing the child with a specialized learning environment best suited for their educational needs. Dr. Archer frequently assesses children for “gifted placement,” attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and mental health disorders.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Dr. Archer has maintained a contract with APD for the last several years, and continues to see referred clients on a monthly basis. These evaluations generally sought for the purpose of ruling out or confirming diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability. Referred clients range in age from toddlers through adults.