Cheryl Foden & Associates -

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UPDATED:

I am going to let you know what happened in my case, so you can make an educated decision about what is right for you. My case is not the norm, so take what might be helpful. In general, divorce sucks and anything to do with court is stressful. A vocational assessment is usually ordered because men don't want to pay spousal support, so I'm going to start with that was the only "normal" part of my case.
About 3 years ago my ex's attorney requested Cheryl do a prelim vocational assessment of me. They claimed they needed it urgently and would be doing a full evaluation later. My ex's attorney is very unethical and did so without a court order.
From what I understand now, there should be a court order to do a full vocational assessment or an agreement between the parties. You are not required to comply without the court order. I was not told about the vocational assessment ahead of time, nor was I under any legal obligation to comply, so I did not participate or meet with Cheryl at all during the process.

My ex's attorney wrote a long compelling letter to Cheryl listing a host of false credentials and work history for me. My ex also spoke to her and did the same. They asked the report be done quickly. Cheryl did state in the report that she had not spoken with me to confirm the info and that she did need to speak with me still to verify the information.
The prelim report was rejected by the judge and the judge did not order a full assessment. My Ex's unethical, lying, dirt bag attorney re-entered it again in a support hearing 2 years later with a brand new judge and that judge allowed it to be entered.
Unfortunately in my case, since Cheryl has an excellent reputation, the judge accepted it as fact, without her testimony or an order for a full report and it was devastating to me financially.
I was extremely upset with Cheryl and ended up speaking with her at length about how they misused the report, because at that time I assumed she was aware of what had happened.
She had no idea and they had told her they were not using the report. She also stated that it was outdated and should never have been allowed. We also talked a lot about my actual credentials and how that would have changed things.
After learning more about how Cheryl works and how much knowledge she has, I think there is a benefit to doing an assessment if you are searching for a career path or going through a season of change and can use some guidance. Cheryl truly has a lot of knowledge and was a kind and fair person in my experience with her.
I also think she would be helpful if you don't have a strong work history because she understands the dynamics of childcare and the cost of living here and she really seemed to be realistic about what was achievable in this area.
We were able to speak under stressful circumstances and have a constructive and respectful conversation. She listened and was open to hearing my side.

In my case, I was severely hurt by what happened, because I feel like my ex and his attorney intentionally manipulated everyone. I know Cheryl has changed her policies to make sure that this can't happen in the future, which I thought was a good step in protecting women and I respect that decision.
Cheryl has so much knowledge and really looked at the whole picture, including family needs. I think in my case, it actually would have been really beneficial to have Cheryl's help.
I don't know what's best for you in your situation. This is just my experience after everything I went through.

Jaynemarie Crawford

Cheryl is an ethical and professional vocational evaluator. She goes the extra mile to make sure she covers all the bases in trying to see if there is any work out there you can do. As for my case, she spent over two hours interviewing me so that she totally understood what my background was and what my current condition is. She then spends many more hours making sure that she cover everything in her report and testifies to everything she found out in court. I would highly recommend her if you are in a position to need someone like her on your side.

Cathleen Lucid-Moynihan

I have worked with Cheryl Foden for over three years and am very familiar with her work practices and methods. I have seen her testify in court and have read glowing statements from the judges and clients after after testifying. From this I know that she is a person of integrity and in my opinion always does her best to research all the available evidence and information about an evaluated person, so that they are well presented in court with a real time status and a report summary.

nobis pacem

Cheryl capably provided a vocational assessment and subsequent recommendation for potential jobs for which I'd qualify. Her reports were researched and substantiated, and she truthfully represented the potential for my re-employment after thorough questioning and after understanding my constraints and the job market opportunities. Comparatively, among vocational evaluators, she rises above the pack!

Know It

I met with Cheryl Foden. I was disappointed with her professionalism and how she handled my case. In fact, she mislead me about my employability, presented bogus conversations with recruiters to show that I would be employed in a jiffy. The experience was devastating. Stay away.

Math /Think

I am writing this in support for Cheryl Foden and Associates, Cheryl’s firm conducted an analysis and market survey. The results of the survey resulted in a fair determination of the support awarded. The analysis was complete, accurate and timely. I know that given the nature of the firm's work it can be seen as a threat or a one sided attempt to “buy “ an opinion but having seen the firm’s work and consultation with counsel that is not what is the firm's reputation. The analysis was objective and that was made clear to both parties, a refreshing disclosure given the current nature of the times. I also find it interesting that people who are unhappy ( or let's say bitter and angry ) try to discredit any business or professional just because they have "issues " created by their own behavior.