Including Children’s Voices in Family Law Proceedings: Risks and Unintended Consequences
Hearing from children has become the directive in family law processes, giving them “a
voice but not a choice.” This plenary will address concerns and unintended
consequences associated with involving children. The presenters will examine the risks
in cases with alleged abuse and in resist-refuse cases when children speak with multiple
professionals. When cases involve professionals in a variety of roles, coordination
between them can limit harm to children. This plenary session will consider safety risks
to the children and other family members when children are encouraged to give
information that reflects negatively on their parent(s). The panelists will address helping
children understand how confidentiality limits are different across professional roles
and legal processes. The presenters will discuss how ethical standards and laws differ
based on jurisdiction, and how this impacts the type of information that professionals
may elicit.
Mindy F. Mitnick, EdM, MA, Minneapolis, MN
Hon. Denise McColley (Ret.), Napoleon, OH
April Harris-Britt, PhD, AHB Forensic and Consulting Services, PLLC, Durham, NC
Alexander D. Jones, JD, MSW, Brick, Jones, McBrien & Hickey, LLP, Needham, MA
Kelly Browe Olson, JD, LLM, Univ. of Arkansas–Little Rock Bowen School of Law, Little Rock, AR
1. Should I Persist When My Child Resists?
Enforcing parenting time amid resistance poses a daunting challenge. Forcing the child's
compliance risks escalation, while not enforcing may signal abandonment. Conflicting
advice from professionals adds chaos. When to persist or step back hinges on various
factors, demanding a nuanced approach. This workshop offers a model for decision
making based on expert insights and collaborative exploration. Whether a seasoned
practitioner or newcomer, attendees will depart with actionable strategies for
navigating the complexities of resistance to parenting time and implementing realistic
interventions for the family.
Leslie Drozd, PhD, Seattle, WA
Amy Armstrong, LISW-S, Columbus, Ohio
2. One Court’s Thoughtful Approach to Problematic Parenting
This workshop will explore programs to help parents work through disputes and to build stronger families. Through a multi-disciplinary approach, the Summit County Domestic Relations Court designed programs for parents to better understand the issues they are facing. Discussion includes details about the Working Together Program, the resources through family court Services with focus on evaluations regarding allocation of parental rights and responsibilities and Family Recovery Court.
Hon. Katarina V. Cook, Summit County Domestic Relations Court, Akron, OH
Magistrate Julie Mitrovich King, Summit County Domestic Relations Court, Akron, OH
3. A View from the Trenches: Practical Strategies for IPV and PCCP
From the premise that both IPV and PCCP exist, this workshop will provide practical
guidance by offering particular legal and analytic strategies that can be useful for both
legal and mental health practitioners. Legal strategies will consider a variety of
budgetary realities and present options to support or defend against either or both
phenomena. Mental health analytic frameworks will be presented in order to understand
how concrete facts, observations, and data points can be used to analyze the presence
or absence of one or both of the phenomena.
Shawn McCall, PsyD, JD, San Francisco, CA
Marcy Pasternak, PhD, Watchung, NJ
Sharon Ryan Montgomery, PsyD, Morristown, NJ
4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Parent Coordination
Join the presenters in exploring the current challenges and resources available to the
Parent Coordination process. Through the lens of both a legal and mental health
perspective, the facilitators will lead a discussion providing valuable take aways to
empower conflict resolution skills for the parties. The goal for this session is to build
confidence in parent coordinators by providing language and creative intervention. The
panelists will model techniques that support setting boundaries, delegating party
responsibility, and assuring the child’s wellbeing is the primary focus.
Jamie Niesen, MA, MS, Niesen Resolution Services, Worthington, OH
Alyson B. Miller, JD, Miller Bahnson Law, Columbus, OH
5. Coercive Control: Policy and Practice in Custody Evaluations
Given its chronic nature, understanding the impact of coercive control requires a
complex trauma lens. Complex trauma is the exposure to multiple or prolonged
interpersonal stressors, which leads to adverse psychological and behavioral changes
and vulnerability to future traumatic events. The distress may occur throughout the
lifespan, resulting in psychological, emotional, and relationship difficulties. Participants
will learn to identify coercive control and its impact on children and families and to
assess coercive control in custody matters. Participants will also discuss the essential
parameters and collaborate on a proposed model statute.
Paul J. Meller, PhD, Hofstra Univ., Hempstead, NY
Martin E. Friedlander, JD, Martin Friedlander, PC, Brooklyn, NY
Katreena L. Scott, PhD, CPsych, CREVAWC, London, ON, Canada
6. It Takes a Village – Fostering Community Partnerships
Judicial Track
Principal 10 of the Cady Justice Reform Initiative discusses the importance of obtaining necessary community support and partnerships. Presenters will discuss how Johnson County community partnerships and multidisciplinary collaborations have helped provide crucial intervention services, offering families a sense of choice, empowerment, and collaboration essential for effective trauma-informed care that seeks to maximize restorative practices. Participants will leave the workshop inspired and motivated to encourage and foster community partnerships and collaboration in their local communities.
Trina A. Nudson, JD, The Layne Project, Olathe, KS
Heather Landon, MSW, JD, Landon Law, LLC, Olathe, KS
7. Riddle Me This: How to Explore and Document Alternative Hypothesis in Parenting Plan Evaluations
Do you know about the importance of alternative hypotheses but find it difficult to
effectively identify such hypotheses from the beginning of your work with a family? Do
you then struggle with how best to document those hypotheses, your testing of those
hypotheses, and your findings in your evaluation? If so, then this workshop is for you.
Join two seasoned evaluators for an entertaining, yet practical, discussion about how to
identify, explore, and clearly document alternative hypotheses in a way that supports
best practice.
Victoria Harvey, PhD, Frisco, TX
Christy Bradshaw Schmidt, MA, LPC, Coppell, TX
8. 15 Years of SAFeR: A Systematic Approach to Child Custody Determinations
Families who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) benefit most from responses
and interventions tailored to meet their specific needs. In this workshop, participants
will learn the evidence-based and systematic SAFeR Approach to screen for and assess
the nature, context, and effects of IPV, as well as reflect on 15 years of SAFeR and how it
continues to evolve as the gold standard, meeting survivors where they are in their lives
and demanding that the legal system, and those that practice within it, rise to meet the
moment.
Tracy Shoberg, JD, Battered Women’s Justice Project, Saint Paul, MN
Anadelle M. Martinez-Mullen, JD, Battered Women’s Justice Project, Saint Paul, MN
9. AFCC Peace Talks: Reflecting on Progress and Engaging Feedback
The AFCC Peace Talks, launched in 2023, have been a powerful strategy in depolarizing
parent-child contact problems (PCCP) issues. The talks have fostered a culture of
collaborative dialogues among experts with diverse perspectives. This interactive
session will build on the plenary held in June of 2024 at the AFCC 61st Annual Conference
by encouraging participants to engage with presenters and reflect on key achievements
and lessons learned from the AFCC Peace Talks. Participants will play a vital role in this
collaborative process, engaging in meaningful discussions, sharing their feedback and
experiences in the ongoing efforts to depolarize PCCP issues. The presenters are eager
to gather these diverse perspectives, recognizing their importance in enhancing future
peace talks. This collaborative approach is key to fostering continuous improvement and
effective depolarization in family law.
William Bernet, MD, Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN
April Harris-Britt, PhD, AHB Forensic and Consulting Services, PLLC, Durham, NC
Peter Jaffe, PhD, Western Univ., London, ON, Canada
Hon. Denise McColley (Ret.), Napoleon, OH
Stacey E. Platt, JD, Loyola Univ. Chicago School of Law, Chicago, IL
Moderator: Michael A. Saini, PhD, Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
10. The Role Family Law Professionals Can Play in Reducing Firearms Violence Risk
This workshop will cover current research on how children in various communities and
at different ages are experiencing violence, including family, community, and gun
violence, and the role family courts and professionals can play in reducing harm. Too
often these issues are siloed or addressed without adequate focus on the particular
needs of diverse populations or without fully leveraging conflict resolution skills family
law professionals offer. Specific tools, including a new toolkit addressing the
intersection of firearms and child custody cases, and promising practices will be
covered to help support professionals handling cases more effectively.
Julia F. Weber, JD, MSW, San Francisco, CA
Tiffany Garner, MA, MPA, Woodridge, VA
Alicia Nichols, LSW, TruthWorks, Saint Paul, MN
11. Navigating the Emotional Tribunal of Family Law Custody Cases: Essential Techniques and Strategies for Successful Trials
From preparation to closing arguments, this workshop highlights the most important
techniques, strategies, and best practices in family law custody trials. Award-winning
attorneys give guidance on navigating the unique challenges in this emotionally charged
area of law, how to prevail, how to manage clients, and how to provide objectivity on
sensitive matters. Given this toolkit, attorneys can effectively advocate for their clients
in the courtroom and provide results that help their practice thrive.
Scott Friedman, JD, Columbus, OH
Denise Mirman, JD, Columbus, OH
12. Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in the Context of Child Custody Evaluations
Judicial Track
What happens when during the course of a child custody evaluation allegations of child sexual abuse are made? Issues such as the mental health professional’s competency to conduct a child sexual abuse forensic evaluation, proper protocols to follow when evaluating allegations of child sexual abuse rising during the child custody evaluation, the issue of parental alienation, mandatory reporting laws, and the involvement of child protective services and law enforcement are some of the issues this session will address.
Lawrence Jay Braunstein, JD, Braunstein & Zuckerman, Esqs., White Plains, NY
13. I Have the Data: Now What?
This presentation is intended for evaluators and for those who rely on parenting plan
evaluations such as attorneys, judicial officers, guardians ad litem, and mediators. We
will focus on what to do after the data has been collected, considering how to organize
and analyze the information in order to provide reliable conclusions and helpful
recommendations. The presentation will consider various biases that evaluators may or
may not be aware of and how to manage those biases in providing recommendations
useful to attorneys and judicial officers about parenting time, including restrictions and
services to maintain family members’ safety.
Mindy F. Mitnick, EdM, MA, Minneapolis, MN
James J. Street, JD, Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O’Connell, Maplewood, MN
Anna Street, JD, Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O’Connell, Maplewood, MN
14. Ethical Integration of AI in Family Court Practice
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, emerging technologies, particularly artificial
intelligence (AI), offer promising opportunities to revolutionize family court proceedings.
This is a workshop tailored for family law judges, lawyers, court professionals, and
stakeholders, aiming to explore how AI can ethically enhance the effectiveness,
efficiency, and accessibility of family court processes.
Hon. Tom Altobelli, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Hon. Randall Fuller, Delaware County Common Pleas Court, Delaware, OH
Fiona Kirkman, LLM, Sydney, NSW, Australia
15. A New Approach to Divorce: The High Complexity Docket
This workshop will outline a new approach to court docketing and dispute resolution in
cases involving domestic violence, parental contact issues, mental health issues, and
substance abuse issues. The workshop will include a discussion of the framework of
high complexity dockets, and the reasons for the design. Docket implementation and
procedure will be set forth, as well as the metrics for monitoring the docket’s success.
Magistrate Amanda Holmes, Greene County Domestic Relations Court, Xenia, OH
Hon. Cynthia Martin, Greene County Domestic Relations Court, Xenia, OH
Magistrate Patricia Campbell, Greene County Domestic Relations Court, Xenia, OH
16. Transforming Forensic Family Law Training: Empowering Early Career Professionals
Join the presenters for a transformative workshop on modernizing forensic mental
health training to attract young professionals to the field. Discover innovative business
approaches to address the aging workforce and engage the next generation of
professionals. Explore practical solutions for improving competency for early career
professionals by examining established models, like the medical residency model, law
firm model, and state-employed court clinician model.
Premela Deck, JD, PhD, SD Family Services, Inc., Canton, MA
Danielle Sample, PhD, SD Family Services, Inc., Canton, MA
Jennifer Sevigney Durand, JD, SD Family Services, Inc., Canton, MA
Jillian Thrall, PhD, SD Family Services, Inc., Canton, MA
17. Revisiting and Revising the Mediation Model Standards
A taskforce of AFCC and American Bar Association professionals has been examining the
2001 Model Standards for Family and Divorce Mediation and discussing updates and
modifications. The panelists will review the current Model Standards, and the proposed
revisions. The panelists will also discuss their work on the taskforce and its’
subcommittees, new concepts, and struggles over wording. Workshop participants will
be invited to provide feedback on the draft revisions and suggest additional changes.
This workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to express their opinions on
the revisions and have their voices heard.
Marya Cody Kolman, JD, Supreme Court of Ohio, Columbus, OH
Kelly Browe Olson, JD, LLM, Univ. of Arkansas–Little Rock Bowen School of Law, Little Rock, AR
Alexander D. Jones, JD, MSW, Brick, Jones, McBrien & Hickey, LLP, Needham, MA
18. Judicial Dilemmas in Cases Involving Adolescents
Judicial Track
This interactive session will focus on dilemmas that arise in custody cases involving adolescents, particularly when weighing their wishes in determining their best interests. Topics to be discussed include developmental tasks of adolescence, risks associated with this stage of life, what teens need from adults, contending with adolescent refusal, gauging maturity and independence, and balancing potential risks and benefits of various courses of action.
Kathleen McNamara, PhD, Fort Collins, CO
Stacey Platt, JD, Loyola Univ. Chicago School of Law, Chicago, IL