In contested custody cases, courts often rely heavily on evaluations and testimony from mental-health experts. That makes it important to understand exactly what an expert based their opinion on — not just their final report.
If your case involves a psychologist, social worker, or other mental-health expert, your attorney should request full discovery of their files: notes, correspondence with the other side or the court, the professional literature they relied on, and their general approach to these evaluations. Experts are not infallible, and a thorough review of their process is a normal, important part of a fair proceeding.