Healthy Family Systems in Family Law: How Do We Get There From Here?

Healthy Family Systems in Family Law: How Do We Get There From Here?

Sponsoring Organizations:

Sacramento County Bar Association, Family Law Section

Bartholomew & Wasznicky, LLP

Presenters:    

 

Steven Friedlander, Ph.D.
3569 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 567-8353           Fax: (415) 381-4555
sf@drsfriedlander.com

PSY 5041

 

Matthew J. Sullivan, Ph.D.

417 Tasso St.

Palo Alto,  California 94301

(650) 326-2004           Fax: (650) 745-2800

sullydoc@aol.com

PSY 10214

 

William A. Eddy, LCSW, JD, CFLS

POB 70067

San Diego, CA 92167

(619) 221-9108           Fax: (619) 460-7815

billeddy@highconflictinstitute.com

LCS 12258, California State Bar # 163236

 

Time, Date and Location:

October 24, 2014, 7:45 AM – 5:00 PM

Arden Hills Resort and Spa

1220 Arden Hills Lane

Sacramento, CA 95864

(916) 292-5769

 

CEU: 8 hours

 

Price: $250                

 

Course Description:

This course addresses the following topics:

 

• Current types of high-conflict cases, the dynamics of personality styles, the drive for “drama,” and why ordinary professional methods fail and even increase dysfunctional behavior
• Characteristics of the adversarial legal process that are antithetical to the goals and successful handling of high-conflict individuals and may even reinforce their dysfunctional behavior
• Existing Family Court structures and processes that can be made more effective, including attorneys as gatekeepers, triaging/screening, parent education, child involvement, and appropriate co-parenting models
• Essential client engagement skills for all professionals involved in the process, including two brief practice exercises for difficult conversations, and structured responses to hostile emails.  A conceptual hierarchy of interventions will be provided.
• Video: “One Example of a New Paradigm for Client Engagements: New Ways for Families”
• A case scenario will be used to provide a framework to guide practitioners in informing their decision-making and case handling to more closely align the needs of the family with what the system has to offer.  This framework moves through initial screening of cases, to understanding the context and dynamics of high conflict, to determining the implications of this understanding with regard to decision making and interventions.
• Preparing for and managing predictable and unpredictable crises, maintaining professional coordination, avoiding “professional splitting,” and teaching and reinforcing self-management skills for parents and their children, for future management of family transitions

Learning Objectives:  Participants will:

 

1. Learn four ways in which the adversarial legal process is antithetical to helping the families currently being served by Family Court.
2. Learn the three characteristics of a Family Law system that focuses on cooperation and problem solving.
3. Learn two common parenting challenges that face parents involved in separation and divorce.
4. Learn the four principles of BIFF (Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm) co-parenting communication.
   
5. Learn three fundamental problem-solving skills that parents can use to support respectful communication and cooperative co-parenting.

 

Target Audience:

This is an intermediate level presentation, geared to Mental Health Professionals and Attorneys practicing in or aspiring to practice in the field of Family Law. 

 

Level of presentation: Intermediate

Timed Agenda:

 

7:15 – 7:45 AM	Registration
7:45 – 8:00 AM	Introduction and Announcements
8:00 – 9:45 AM	Who Uses Today’s Family Courts
9:45 – 10:00 AM	Break
10:00 – 11:45 AM	How Can We Be More Effective?
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM	Noon Break
12:00  - 12:45 PM	Lunch/Video: “One Example of a New Paradigm for Client Engagements: New Ways for Families”
12:45 – 1:00 PM	Break
1:00 – 2:45 PM	Managing a Full Sample Case Scenario: Part 1
2:45 – 3:00 PM	Break
3:00 – 5:00 PM	Managing a Full Sample Case Scenario: Part 2

Bibliography:

Firestone, G. & Weinstein, J.  In the Best Interests of Children:  A proposal to transform the adversarial system.  Family Court Review, 42 (2), 2004, 203-215.

 

Sullivan, M.J., Scopelitis, M.P.,& Asher, C.A.  Doing no harm: Avoiding iatrogenic impact in family law cases.  Paper presented at AFCC Regional Training Conference, Working With High Conflict and Violent Families: A Race With No Winners. October 27-29, 2011, Indianapolis, IN.

 

Eddy, William.  New Ways for Families Professional Guidebook.  2^nd Edition. High Conflict Institute, 2013.