A mental health professional in an Arizona family law context may serve multiple distinct roles as a treating therapist for a party or child, as a forensic evaluator appointed by the court, as an expert witness on parenting capacity or domestic violence dynamics, or as a therapeutic supervisor for parenting time.

The role matters because it determines what the mental health professional can and cannot do, what records they maintain, what their confidentiality obligations are, and how their opinions can reach the court.

Under the Alec and Lydia Act courts cannot order a domestic violence victim to participate in joint treatment or assessment with the abusive parent. This restriction applies to all mental health professional formats including forensic evaluations.