Choosing to build your family through a gestational carrier is a courageous and deeply personal decision, and one that comes with profound hope, significant complexity, and a range of emotional, relational, and ethical dimensions that deserve careful attention.
An intended parent evaluation is a required step in most surrogacy arrangements, and it is also one of the most valuable. It is a professional, structured opportunity to ensure you are entering this journey with clarity, realistic expectations, and the psychological preparation that a process this significant warrants.
At Old Town Psychology, we provide expert psychological evaluations for intended parents in Alexandria, VA and throughout the region. We have immediate availability and extensive experience working with leading fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies.
What Is an Intended Parent Evaluation?
An intended parent evaluation, also called a psychological evaluation for surrogacy or a psychological screening for intended parents, is a formal mental health assessment conducted by a licensed psychologist for individuals or couples who are pursuing parenthood through a gestational carrier arrangement. It is required by most fertility clinics, surrogacy agencies, and legal frameworks as part of the clearance process for entering a gestational carrier arrangement.
The evaluation is designed to assess the psychological readiness of intended parents, examine the relational and emotional dimensions of the arrangement they are entering, and ensure that all parties have the professional support and clinical guidance needed to navigate the process responsibly. For couples, it also assesses relationship functioning and the degree to which both partners are aligned in their understanding, expectations, and readiness.
Beyond its role as a required document, an intended parent evaluation is a meaningful clinical experience in its own right. Building a family through surrogacy involves emotional, ethical, and relational complexity that most intended parents benefit from exploring with a skilled professional before the process begins.
At Old Town Psychology, we have extensive experience conducting intended parent evaluations for individuals and couples working with leading fertility clinics and agencies. We work with heterosexual couples, LGBTQ couples, and single intended parents.
What Can an Intended Parent Evaluation Help With?
An intended parent evaluation covers the full emotional and relational landscape of building a family through surrogacy. At Old Town Psychology, our evaluations address the following:
Understanding the emotional journey of surrogacy
Surrogacy is not a linear process, and the emotional experience of intended parents is more complex than it is often portrayed. The evaluation provides a professional framework for understanding what to expect emotionally, including the anticipation, the vulnerability of the waiting periods, the complexity of not carrying the pregnancy yourself, and the profound transition of the birth and the first days with your child. Naming these experiences in advance helps intended parents navigate them with greater resilience.
Choosing between independent and agency arrangements
One of the first and most consequential decisions intended parents face is whether to pursue surrogacy independently or through an agency. Each path carries different levels of structure, cost, legal risk, and relational complexity. The evaluation provides a space to think through this decision clearly, with professional guidance on what each approach entails and what is best suited to your specific circumstances.
Setting expectations for the relationship with your gestational carrier
The relationship between intended parents and a gestational carrier is unlike any other. There is no established social script for it, and expectations about communication, contact, involvement during the pregnancy, and the nature of the ongoing relationship vary enormously from arrangement to arrangement. Misaligned expectations are one of the most common sources of difficulty in surrogacy arrangements, and the evaluation helps intended parents clarify and articulate their own expectations before entering into a match.
Embryo transfer planning and medical decision-making
The evaluation addresses important questions that arise in the medical dimension of the arrangement, including how many embryos to transfer, what the intended parents’ wishes are in various medical scenarios, and how decisions will be made throughout the pregnancy. These conversations are most productive when they happen before a match is formalized, and the evaluation provides the right clinical context for having them.
Emotional expectations throughout the process
From the screening and matching phase through the transfer, the pregnancy, and the birth, surrogacy involves a sequence of emotionally significant milestones, each with its own particular demands. The evaluation helps intended parents develop realistic expectations for each stage, identify what support they will need, and build the emotional toolkit to navigate the process with stability and confidence.
Disclosure and communication planning
The evaluation addresses the deeply personal questions around disclosure, including how to talk about the surrogacy arrangement with family members, friends, and the child themselves as they grow. Research consistently supports early, age-appropriate disclosure to children about their origins, and the evaluation provides professional guidance on how to approach these conversations thoughtfully.
Legal and ethical considerations, including agency requirements
The evaluation also covers the legal and ethical framework of gestational carrier arrangements, ensures that intended parents understand the rights, responsibilities, and commitments they are entering, and produces documentation that meets the requirements of the relevant agency, clinic, or legal counsel.
What Does an Intended Parent Evaluation Look Like?
At Old Town Psychology, intended parent evaluations are conducted with the clinical rigor and personal care that a decision of this significance deserves. Evaluations are available in person at our Alexandria, VA office or via a secure, HIPAA-compliant video portal, offering flexibility for clients across the region and beyond.
Clinical Interview
The evaluation centers on a comprehensive clinical interview with the individual or couple. For couples, the interview typically includes both a joint session and individual components, allowing your psychologist to assess both shared and individual dimensions of readiness, expectation, and relational functioning. The interview covers the path that led you to surrogacy, your experience with fertility treatment if relevant, your vision for the arrangement and the relationship with your carrier, your understanding of the process and its demands, your emotional support systems, and any concerns or uncertainties you want to work through before moving forward.
Comprehensive Report
Following the evaluation, we prepare a formal written report documenting the clinical findings, addressing the specific criteria required by the fertility clinic, surrogacy agency, or legal team, and providing a professional clinical opinion. Reports are prepared to meet the documentation standards of the relevant organization and are delivered in a timely manner to keep the process moving forward.
Feedback and Ongoing Support
We provide a feedback conversation following the evaluation to discuss the findings and ensure you leave the process with a clear understanding of what was assessed and what the next steps look like. For intended parents who want continued psychological support throughout the surrogacy journey, from the transfer through the pregnancy, the birth, and the postpartum transition, our fertility counseling services are available as a natural and meaningful complement to the evaluation.
"We brought our daughter in for testing and the OTP team was amazing. They were so kind, caring and great with children. My daughter is shy and takes a little time to warm up when first meeting someone new. The Doctor was patient and encouraging and my daughter had a wonderful time. They also provide fast results and meet with you to explain everything in the report. I would definitely recommend them."
"Very prompt response to our inquiry. Welcoming environment and very professional, thorough communication. The staff genuinely seems to care that your needs are met."
"Excellent service, knowledgeable staff, incredible responsiveness, diligence and follow through -- we feel lucky we found such a great therapy practice. We cannot recommend them highly enough!"
“My daughter took WISC-V test there and we are very pleased with our experience. They are professional, patient and wonderful throughout the entire process. My daughter had such a great time that she hardly felt that was a test - she even asked when she could take it again. I would highly recommend them to whoever needs child IQ testing services.”
“I took my children here for TAG testing. Both of my kids actually enjoyed their assessments. I was very pleased with the time and care taken to assess my children, the thoroughness of the report, and the fact that there was a follow-up session to discuss any questions that I had relative to the assessment included. Also-- the tea selection in the waiting room is top tier :)”
“Very prompt response to our inquiry. Welcoming environment and very professional, thorough communication. The staff genuinely seems to care that your needs are met.”
Take the Next Step
Building your family through surrogacy is one of the most significant undertakings of your life. An intended parent evaluation ensures you enter that journey with professional support, honest clarity, and the preparation it deserves. At Old Town Psychology, we have immediate availability for intended parent evaluations and work efficiently to meet the timelines of fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies.
To schedule an intended parent evaluation or to ask any questions, contact us today.
