DSHS Investigation Finds “Founded” Complaint Against Northwest Evaluation Center; Psychologist Cited for Insufficient Domestic Violence Assessments
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has issued a formal written warning and a “founded” finding against the Northwest Evaluation Center and Dr. William Singer, following an investigation into the facility’s Domestic Violence Intervention Treatment program.
The investigation, concluded on November 6, 2025, determined that NWEC failed to meet critical state standards mandated by Washington Administrative Code 388-60B, specifically regarding how behavioral assessments are conducted and summarized for court-involved individuals.
At the center of the complaint is an assessment conducted by NWEC for a family law case in a King County Superior Court. According to the DSHS findings, NWEC’s assessment recommended “Level 0, DVIT is not appropriate at this time” for the participant.
While the program was able to verbally articulate to state investigators why they recommended mental health treatment instead of domestic violence intervention, DSHS found that this rationale was completely absent from the written assessment itself.
State investigators noted that the rationale provided in the summary was “insufficient,” failing to meet the minimum requirements of WAC 388-60B-0400 (19).
Ignoring Victim Statements
Perhaps most alarming for victim advocates is the state’s finding regarding how the assessment handled allegations of abuse. The DSHS letter specifically criticizes the assessment for summarizing the participant’s assertions about the relationship while failing to “sufficiently summarize the victim’s statements (from court documents) about their relationship with the participant and what they asserted to be abusive.”
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the assessment attempted to diminish the necessity for treatment based on the lack of criminal charges. The assessment stated, “There are no police reports in regards to rape in the home while she lived in the house.”
DSHS rebuke on this point was blunt: “The treatment recommendation may not be diminished by the absence of legal charges... As stated in the WAC standards above, the absence of legal charges cannot diminish the recommended treatment.”
Corrective Action Required
In a letter authored by Amie Roberts, LMHC, the Domestic Violence Intervention Treatment Program Supervisor for DSHS, the department emphasized that the investigation’s purpose is to determine if a program “behaved in a way that placed victims at risk.”
Consequently, DSHS has ordered a Corrective Action Plan. Northwest Evaluation Center must amend the assessment for the specified case by December 6, 2025, to meet state standards. The amended assessment must then be sent to the referral source.
While technical assistance was provided to the program during the investigation, the “Founded” finding remains on record. The facility has been notified of their right to request an administrative hearing regarding these findings.
Wow. Great job!
Really strong reporting here. The detail about the evaluation center being able to verbally explain their reasoning but leaving it out ofthe written assessment is telling because it suggests they knew the right approach but just didnt document it properly. In family law cases tho where judges rely heavily on these writen reports, that gap in documentation can be really dangerous.