Any custody evaluator that fails to provide a thoroughly convincing and compelling argument for their interpretation of their interviews, test data and observations is doing no one any good, family or court. Be aware of evaluators who misrepresent the value of their recommendations. If an evaluator noted in his report to the court that the method they used to conduct their evaluation was the same method used by the president of the American Custody Evaluator's Association, that would be an attempt to imply that their report has merit. The fact is, there would be no strong scientific evidence to support that the American Custody Evaluator's Association president's procedure is the method of choice for performing a custody evaluation. The scientific literature should guide custody evaluation procedures, personal opinions that may or may not be accurate.
Any custody battle is traumatic, especially since children's welfare and futures are at stake.
Unfortunately, scientific evidence to guide custody decisions is seriously lacking and nowhere near the level for experts who need support in making such decisions. Certainly consider consulting with Dr. Turkat as an expert in these matters.