Washington Psychologist Abruptly Exits Family Court Field Amid Five Open State Investigations

Dr. Steve R. Tutty, a clinical psychologist who has served as a frequent expert witness in Washington state child custody cases, has publicly announced he is no longer accepting divorce cases.

In a recent editorial published on his firm’s website, NW Family Psychology, Tutty framed his departure from the family court system as a professional and philosophical choice, characterizing divorce litigation as highly adversarial and offering “zero protection for the mental health profession.”

“No one really wins in USA divorce court, aside from the attorneys,” Tutty stated in the post, citing “firing squad depositions” and “brutal cross examinations.” When asked what advice he would give his younger self, Tutty answered bluntly: “Don’t take divorce cases.”

However, the psychologist’s public withdrawal from family law coincides with mounting regulatory scrutiny regarding his forensic conduct in that very field.

According to Washington State Department of Health records accessed on June 16, 2026, Tutty’s psychologist license remains active, but his file is flagged with an “Enforcement Action.”

New records from Washington state’s Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management System reveal Tutty currently has five open cases and 12 closed cases.

The most prominent of these open cases is a formal Statement of Charges issued by the Examining Board of Psychology in late October 2025. As we previously reported, those charges center heavily on Tutty’s handling of a 2018 child custody evaluation.

State investigators allege that Tutty altered clinical recommendations in a custody report at the direct request of a parent.

According to the charging documents, Tutty issued initial reports, received a complaint from the parent that the reports did not recommend a residential schedule change, and then issued revised reports five days later containing the requested modifications.

The DOH alleges the original clinical data did not support the change, and further accuses Tutty of failing to obtain signed consent forms from the minor patients before sharing their confidential reports.

Tutty did not directly address the ongoing state charges in his recent publication. Instead, he wrote that best-interest determinations in custody disputes should be left to judges, and that for mental health professionals, “you are literally walking into a mine field, blindfolded, at night.”

Tutty’s state credentialing file also details a history of past disciplinary action.

Among his 12 closed cases is a 2022 settlement in which Tutty was cited for overcharging involving Kaiser Permanente members.

Tutty’s practice was accused of attempting to collect thousands of dollars directly from patients after the insurer denied claims due to his office’s administrative errors.

Tutty settled the case through an Informal Disposition in January 2022, agreeing to pay $4,000 in costs and submit to unannounced practice audits. According to the updated HELMS records, he was formally released from that disposition in December 2023.

Beyond DOH actions, we previously uncovered several other controversies surrounding Tutty’s professional history.

Moving forward, Tutty’s online post indicates he plans to shift his forensic practice entirely to personal injury cases, such as evaluating individuals recovering from traumatic brain injuries.

On the clinical side, he states he will focus on unlocking the “unique cognitive, academic, and psychological strengths” of children with neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities.

In the editorial, Tutty highlighted his early-career research into telephone-based counseling for depression and non-pharmaceutical social skills training for pediatric ADHD.

He notes his practice has evaluated over 3,300 youth and 535 adults over his 25-year career.

To manage the demands of his clinical work, Tutty wrote that he relies on spending at least an hour a day in nature and with animals to “reset,” stating he “likely would not have made it this far in life” without the routine.

He also utilizes telehealth to work remotely, recently spending a 90-day telehealth stint abroad, including a six-week stay in Vietnam for what he described as a “super enlightening reset.”

The Washington Department of Health notes on its credentialing site that the presence of open cases or enforcement actions does not imply a practitioner is not competent, and the active charges against Tutty remain allegations until formally resolved by the Examining Board.