How to fake your psychologist’s fake exams when faced with losing legal rights to your own child

First, answer all the non-subjective questions. Those are straightforward. The rest are subjective. By the time a judge orders you to undergo a psychological evaluation, the AFCC‑affiliated psychologist has most likely already been chosen who will produce unfavorable results against you. After you have paid for the exam and taken it, the AFCC psychologist will speak with your attorney, the other attorney, the judge, the custody evaluator, the guardian ad litem, the social worker, the therapist, and everyone else involved who doesn’t like you. A decision has already been made about whether to recommend reducing your custody and/or visitation rights long ago.  Maybe you are not current on child support or you just don’t seem like you accept the situation. Once you’ve been ordered into this process, the court effectively controls your parenting until your child turns 18. Your best option is to resolve things with the other parent as quickly as possible outside of the courtroom in order to leave the courtroom with restrictive “visitation” orders or worse, no legal rights to your own child(ren) based solely on a “family” court judge’s orders (and your ability to pay).

Second, you can try leaving the subjective questions blank, but the psychologist will usually complete the evaluation anyway. In theory, doing so should jeopardize their license, but the California Board of Psychology rarely takes action. There are simply too much of this organization’s members tied to the “family” court system’s $$$.

Third, you can refuse to see the pre-determined AFCC psychologist, but doing so almost always triggers retaliation (Tommy Valva’s mother). Judges, attorneys, and evaluators may respond by restricting your time with your child—sometimes to supervised visits, sometimes to no visits at all. You may also lose the ability to make decisions for your child until you comply. In practice, this means losing your legal rights for as long as it takes to complete the chosen psychologist’s evaluation and pay everyone’s fees. 

Fourth, you can try hiring your own psychologist, but judges rarely allow independent professionals to testify about your parenting. The subjective nature of the court‑ordered evaluation gives the evaluator wide latitude to portray you negatively. Maybe you appear anxious in stressful situations, or overly social, or you grew up around alcohol. There are endless ways to frame you as a flawed parent. If you truly believe you are the “perfect parent,” family court will quickly challenge that belief.

Your chances of finding a non‑AFCC psychologist willing to testify in family court are extremely slim. Most independent professionals refuse to participate in a system they view as compromised beyond repair.

Fifth, after the AFCC‑affiliated psychologist submits their report—usually filled with hearsay, secondhand statements, and interviews with anyone who has ever interacted negatively with you—you can try to subpoena that psychologist. You might even get them on the stand. But their reports typically cite so many people and layers of hearsay that you won’t be able to challenge most of it. Meanwhile, those connected to the AFCC network often dismiss your efforts because many judges hold prominent roles within the AFCC organization. Even if your judge appears to side with you, that doesn’t mean you’ll keep the custody percentage you had when you walked in. You entered court with 100% rights—just like the other parent and you most likely will leave with a lot less– maybe even 0%.

It most likely makes sense to walk into one of these “family” court arenas with some legal rights to your child(ren) and an agreed upon visitation order.

Sixth, you could try answering all the subjective questions in the way you feel you should. However, with hundreds of subjective items, it’s nearly impossible to stay consistent. Inconsistencies will be used to label you as unreliable, evasive, or uncooperative, putting you right back where you started.

Seventh, you can attempt to influence which psychologist you’re assigned to. This sometimes works for attorneys, who claim conflicts with certain psychologists and thus ask judges to appoint someone else they prefer. But unless you personally know the psychologist or have credible information to challenge their involvement, this is difficult to do on your own.

Bottom line: You cannot “beat” a court‑ordered psychological evaluation. Parents before you have tried every strategy imaginable. The system holds the power, and AFCC‑connected professionals are well‑paid to label you in ways that justify court intervention. The evaluation is not designed for you to “pass”—it is designed to reinforce the court’s control over you and your children until they are adults or until you run out of money.