Online Reviews
Finding yourself here means it is likely that you or someone you love is facing divorce or a significant change in the family system—circumstances that render extraordinary stress, uncertainty, and fear. Add the financial and emotional cost of litigation, including a child custody evaluation, and there is potential for considerable anger and blame. A small segment of the population will always feel a zealous need to externalize blame, and the vast expanse of the Internet provides a ready and uncensored platform to speak freely.
If you search “Lori Bonnevier LCSW, LLC,” you will find a few negative reviews. These represent less than 1% of the total clients for whom an evaluation has been performed. Responding to individual criticisms on the Internet seems futile and I have not taken any measures to “improve online presence,” either by eliciting five star reviews from happy clients or hiring professional reputation consultants as some businesses do. This seems like wasted energy to me…alas, from time to time parents have asked about the negative reviews and this tab on my website was created to offer a balanced perspective.
I use social media to inspire my audience to continue making Child-Focused Choices, but not to market or advertise my clinical practice. Any and all posts/pages on social media that were not posted by Child-Focused Choices have been created by unaffiliated entities and the content on those sites is unreliable, including incorrect office address and business hours.
Online Reviews
Finding yourself here means it is likely that you or someone you love is facing divorce or a significant change in the family system—circumstances that render extraordinary stress, uncertainty, and fear. Add the financial and emotional cost of litigation, including a child custody evaluation, and there is potential for considerable anger and blame. A small segment of the population will always feel a zealous need to externalize blame, and the vast expanse of the Internet provides a ready and uncensored platform to speak freely.
If you search “Lori Bonnevier LCSW, LLC,” you will find a few negative reviews. These represent less than 1% of the total clients for whom an evaluation has been performed. Responding to individual criticisms on the Internet seems futile and I have not taken any measures to “improve online presence,” either by eliciting five star reviews from happy clients or hiring professional reputation consultants as some businesses do. This seems like wasted energy to me…alas, from time to time parents have asked about the negative reviews and this tab on my website was created to offer a balanced perspective.
I use social media to inspire my audience to continue making Child-Focused Choices, but not to market or advertise my clinical practice. Any and all posts/pages on social media that were not posted by Child-Focused Choices have been created by unaffiliated entities and the content on those sites is unreliable, including incorrect office address and business hours.
The Reviews
If the negative reviews make you feel uneasy about an upcoming evaluation, it might be helpful to consult the opinion of your attorney or any experienced attorney in the Portland metro and outlying areas about the quality and consistency of my work with children and families. I have interfaced with a considerable number of domestic relation experts (lawyers, judges, mediators, parent coordinators, psychologists, psychiatrists) over the past 20 years and have garnered a great deal of respect from the legal and mental health communities over the course of my clinical career.
In 2014, I was invited to be part of a multidisciplinary task force consisting of professionals from around the state who, together, created standards by which clinical social workers conducting child custody evaluations in Oregon are now held accountable. These standards were adopted as policy in 2015 and are currently in effect OAR 877-030-0110. In short, I helped write the ethical standards that govern social workers conducting child custody evaluations in Oregon. Never have I been disciplined by the state regulating licensing board, and my professional license is active and in exemplary standing. Please contact the State Board of Licensed Clinical Social Workers if you have questions about my licensing status: oregon.gov/BLSW/Pages/index.aspx
People often ask why I do this work, and the answer is simple: The parents in the majority of families who participate in a custody evaluation are able to reach an agreement after receiving the feedback and guidance provided to make decisions for their children rather than conceding parenting authority to the Court. Parents have contacted me years later, after they have fashioned meaningful change in their life, to share that they were able to maintain and improve the relationship with his/her child. I had a young adult, who was once the subject of an evaluation, track me down when leaving for college and ask what courses to take and major to declare, so he could become an evaluator and help effectuate the kind of change that made a difference in his life. I keep a letter in my desk drawer from years ago, from the seven-year-old girl who wrote the word “thank you” as many times as it would fit on the front and back side of her notebook paper. This work is meaningful to me as a practitioner and it is a privilege to serve in a capacity that enhances the lives of children and families.
Nevertheless, advocacy for children is emotionally-charged, fraught with conflict and countless differences of opinion. I continue working as an evaluator after all this time because of the positive impact on children—the most vulnerable participants involved in domestic relation lawsuits. I do this work because children need someone on their side who understands the complexity of his/her needs and is not easily dissuaded from speaking out on their behalf. A child’s relationship with both parents is sacred and every child having safe/reliable/predictable access to both parents is paramount in the evaluation outcome. Being the target of indignant words from an unhappy few is negligible when balanced with all the good that regularly prevails.
The Reviews
If the negative reviews make you feel uneasy about an upcoming evaluation, it might be helpful to consult the opinion of your attorney or any experienced attorney in the Portland metro and outlying areas about the quality and consistency of my work with children and families. I have interfaced with a considerable number of domestic relation experts (lawyers, judges, mediators, parent coordinators, psychologists, psychiatrists) over the past 20 years and have garnered a great deal of respect from the legal and mental health communities over the course of my clinical career.
In 2014, I was invited to be part of a multidisciplinary task force consisting of professionals from around the state who, together, created standards by which clinical social workers conducting child custody evaluations in Oregon are now held accountable. These standards were adopted as policy in 2015 and are currently in effect OAR 877-030-0110. In short, I helped write the ethical standards that govern social workers conducting child custody evaluations in Oregon. Never have I been disciplined by the state regulating licensing board, and my professional license is active and in exemplary standing. Please contact the State Board of Licensed Clinical Social Workers if you have questions about my licensing status: oregon.gov/BLSW/Pages/index.aspx
People often ask why I do this work, and the answer is simple: The parents in the majority of families who participate in a custody evaluation are able to reach an agreement after receiving the feedback and guidance provided to make decisions for their children rather than conceding parenting authority to the Court. Parents have contacted me years later, after they have fashioned meaningful change in their life, to share that they were able to maintain and improve the relationship with his/her child. I had a young adult, who was once the subject of an evaluation, track me down when leaving for college and ask what courses to take and major to declare, so he could become an evaluator and help effectuate the kind of change that made a difference in his life. I keep a letter in my desk drawer from years ago, from the seven-year-old girl who wrote the word “thank you” as many times as it would fit on the front and back side of her notebook paper. This work is meaningful to me as a practitioner and it is a privilege to serve in a capacity that enhances the lives of children and families.
Nevertheless, advocacy for children is emotionally-charged, fraught with conflict and countless differences of opinion. I continue working as an evaluator after all this time because of the positive impact on children—the most vulnerable participants involved in domestic relation lawsuits. I do this work because children need someone on their side who understands the complexity of his/her needs and is not easily dissuaded from speaking out on their behalf. A child’s relationship with both parents is sacred and every child having safe/reliable/predictable access to both parents is paramount in the evaluation outcome. Being the target of indignant words from an unhappy few is negligible when balanced with all the good that regularly prevails.