Also called: Custody Evaluator, Forensic Family Psychologist
A psychologist who interviews parents and children in tough divorce cases and recommends to the judge what custody plan is best.
Custody evaluators spend weeks on each case: home visits, psychological tests, interviews with teachers and doctors, then a long report that strongly influences where a child lives. They also testify in court.
Private evaluations can cost families $10k-$40k+. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology, state license, and forensic training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Psychology, Child Development.
Growing about average. Steady family-court demand.
Low risk for 10 years. AI may help score tests and organize records; interviewing families and judging what is best for a child stays human.
Classes: AP Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Child development class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3039.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.