2016 Annual Texas AFCC Statewide Conference In...

Leslie Drozd, Ph.D. [email protected]

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2016 Annual Texas AFCC Statewide Conference In conjunction with the TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICES “Challenges in Co-Parenting”

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 (3.50 hours, .50 ethics) 1:10-5:00 p.m. Keynote Presentation Leslie Drozd, Ph.D. “Understanding Gatekeeping, Alienation & Estrangement Issues in Devising Parenting Plans” Allegations of family violence, child abuse, and alienation often occur in the same contested child custody case. Custody evaluators, judges and attorneys are often unfamiliar in forensic assessment of allegations of domestic violence and allegations of alienation. Dr. Drozd will review language that is designed to differentiate between cases in which the term alienation is appropriate, as in non-abuse cases, and when it is best to use other language such as estrangement, sabotaging, and counter-productive protective parenting in cases where there is abuse. She will discuss a decision tree that is designed to assist family law professionals in identifying the causes of multiple allegations of maltreatment and abuse. Dr. Drozd will also discuss the impact on the psychological health and physical safety of the child exposed to domestic violence steps of the Safety First Model, designed to assist the legal and psychological professions to focus on the priorities on the safety of children exposed to domestic violence.

Outline I. OverviewII. EstrangementIII. AlienationIV. GatekeepingV. Resist Refuse Dynamic/Strained Parent-Child Relationships

[For a copy of the slides, please email Leslie Drozd, Ph.D. at [email protected].]


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“Understanding Gatekeeping, Alienation & Estrangement Issues in Devising Parenting Plans” Handouts

Overview 1. PPE Decision Tree (Drozd Olesen Saini 2013).pdf 2. Optimal Time Decision Tree (Drozd, Olesen, Saini, 2014).pdf 3. Matrix I (Drozd Olesen Saini 2013).pdf 4. Matrix II (Drozd Olesen Saini 2013).pdf 5. Matrix III (Drozd Olesen Saini 2013).pdf 6. Ask the Experts Research -- tips on identifying methodologically sound research (Pruett Saini 2016) .pdf 7. CODIT (Mcintosh Pruett Kelly 2015).pdf 8. Step-up Planning (Pruett Deutsch Drozd 2016).pdf 9. RR Dynamics References (Bernet Drozd Saini Sullivan 2016).pdf

Estrangement 10. IPV Articles Chapters (Austin Drozd Hardesty Holtzworth Munroe et al 2012-2016).pdf 11. Guidelines for Examining Intimate Partner Violence (AFCC 2016).pdf

Alienation 12. Considerations for writing about alienation for custody evaluations (Saini Drozd Harper 2012).pdf 13. Risk Factors for Alienation (Bala Fidler Saini 2012).pdf 14. State of the Evidence of Alienation (Saini Johnston Fidler Bala 2016).pdf 15. Alienation News You Can Use (Sullivan 2016).pdf 16. Alienation Research (Saini 2016).pdf 17. Alienation in Custody Cases (Drozd 2016).pdf 18. Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (Bernet 2016).pdf

Gatekeeping. 19. The Brief on Gatekeeping and Alienation (Drozd 2016).pdf 20. Ask the Experts Gatekeeping (Drozd Olesen Saini 2014).pdf 21. Adaptive and Maladaptive Gatekeeping Typologies (Saini Drozd Olesen in press).pdf

Resist/Refuse Dynamic/Strained Parent-Child Relationships 22. Is It Abuse Alienation Estrangement + Abuse Alienation Are Each Real (Drozd Olesen 2004 2010).pdf23. Resistance-Rejection Decision Tree (Drozd Olesen Saini 2013).pdf 24. Differential Approach for Strained Contact (Bala Fidler Saini 2012).pdf 25. Checklist for Severity of Strained Contact (Fidler Bala Saini 2012).pdf 26. Ask the Experts Child Resisting (Deutsch Sullivan 2014).pdf 27. Quadrants Parent Child Relationships (Drozd Saini 2016).pdf 28. Pathways to Strained Parent Child Relationships Cluster of Factors (Saini Drozd 2016).pdf 29. Progress in Resolving RRD Cases (Drozd Walters Saini 2016).pdf 30. Early Intervention RRD (Greenberg Doi Fick Schnider 2016).pdf


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Books

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/overcoming-parent-child-contact-problems-9780190235208?cc=us&lang=en&

Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation Edited by Abigail M. Judge and Robin M. Deutsch

• Emphasizes a whole-family approach to the problem of parent-childcontact problems as well as interventions that do not require custodyreversal

• Presents previously unpublished outcome data on program efficacyand a proposed heuristic for the evaluation of other intensiveprograms


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• Avoids the pitfalls of polemical and polarized thinking that oftencharacterize discussions about this complex and controversial topic

• Includes intervention tools, resources for intake, sample agreements,and court orders

Author Information

Abigail M. Judge, PhD, is a clinical and child and family forensic psychologist. Dr. Judge maintains a private practice in Cambridge, MA, is a Forensic Consultant at the Law and Psychiatry Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, and holds an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Judge provides psychotherapy, consultation, forensic evaluation, expert witness testimony, and reunification intervention.

Robin M. Deutsch, Ph.D., ABPP, is a child and family forensic psychologist, board certified in couples and family practice. She is Director of the Center of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law at William James College in Newton, MA, where she developed the Certificate in Child and Family Forensic Issues and the Child and Family Evaluation Service. She is a founding Board member of Overcoming Barriers, was formerly an Associate Clinical Professor at Harvard Medical School, and was Director of Training and Forensic Services at the Children and the Law program at Massachusetts General Hospital for over 20 years. She provides mediation, consultation, reunification intervention, expert witness testimony, and parenting coordination services, as well as training for mental health professionals, lawyers, and judges on child custody evaluation, issues related to high-conflict divorce, and parenting coordination.

Contributors:

Rebecca Bailey, Ph.D. Clinical Director, Transitioning Families, Glen Ellen, California Consultant, Stable Paths, Miami, FLA

Nicholas Bala, J.D., LL.M. Faculty of Law Queen's University Kingston, Canada


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Carole Blane Program Director, Overcoming Barriers, Inc. New York, New York

Robin Deutsch, Ph.D., ABPP Independent Practice, Wellesley, MA William James College, Newton, MA

Leslie M. Drozd, Ph.D. Independent Practice Newport Beach, California

Barbara J. Fidler, Ph.D., Acc.FM. Independent Practice Toronto, ON, Canada

Janet R. Johnston, Ph.D. Emeritus Faculty, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Abigail M. Judge, Ph.D. Independent Practice, Cambridge, MA Forensic Consultant, Law & Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital

John A. Moran, Ph.D. Independent Practice Phoenix, Arizona

Shely Polak ,MSW, RSW, Acc.FM. Doctoral Candidate, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario

Michael Saini, Ph.D. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario

M. Tyler SullivanOperations Director, Overcoming Barriers Inc.


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Juris Doctor Candidate, Golden Gate University School of Law San Francisco, California

Matthew Sullivan, Ph.D. Independent Practice , Palo Alto, California

Peggie Ward, Ph.D. Co-Parenting Assessment Center, Natick, Massachusetts

Daniel M. Wolfson, M.A. Doctoral Candidate, William James College PsyD Program Newton, Massachusetts

Table of Contents

1. IntroductionLeslie Drozd and Nicholas Bala

Part I: Family-based Interventions: Indicators, models and clinical challenges

2: Clinical decision making in parent-child contact problem cases: Tailoring the intervention to the family's needs Barbara Fidler and Peggie Ward

3: The current status of outpatient approaches to parent-child contact problems Shely Polak and Jack Moran

4: More than words: The use of experiential therapies in the treatment of families with parent-child contact problems and parental alienation Abigail Judge and Rebecca Bailey

5: The perfect storm: High conflict family dynamics, complex therapist reactions and suggestions for clinical management Abigail Judge and Peggie Ward

Part II: The Overcoming Barriers Approach

6: Overview of the Overcoming Barriers approach


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Peggie Ward, Robin Deutsch, and Matt Sullivan

7: Management of the camp experience: The integration of the milieu and the clinical team Carole Blane, Tyler Sullivan, Daniel Wolfson and Abigail Judge

8: "East Group": Group work with favored parents Peggie Ward

9: "West Group": Group interventions for rejected parents Matthew J. Sullivan

10: Common Ground: The Children's Group Robin Deutsch, Abigail Judge, and Barbara Fidler

11: Co-parenting, parenting and child-focused interventions Matt Sullivan, Robin Deutsch, and Peggie Ward

12: Translating the Overcoming Barriers approach to outpatient settings Barbara Fidler, Peggie Ward, and Robin Deutsch

13: Program evaluation, training and dissemination Michael Saini and Robin Deutsch

14: Conclusion Janet Johnston


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https://global.oup.com/academic/product/children-who-resist-postseparation-parental-contact-9780199895496?cc=us&lang=en&

Children Who Resist Post-Separation Parental Contact A Differential Approach for Legal and Mental Health Professionals

Barbara Jo Fidler, Nicholas Bala and Michael A. Saini

Series : American Psychology-Law Society Series

Click to enlarge

Price: $75.00

Format: Paperback 320 pp. 6.14" x 9.21"

ISBN-10: 019989549X


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ISBN-13: 9780199895496

Publication date: August 2012

Imprint: OUP US

Interest in the problem of children who resist contact with or become alienated from a parent after separation or divorce is growing, due in part to parents' increasing frustrations with the apparent ineffectiveness of the legal system in handling these unique cases. There is a need for legal and mental health professionals to improve their understanding of, and response to, this polarizing social dynamic. Children Who Resist Post-Separation Parental Contact is a critical, empirically based review of parental alienation that integrates the best research evidence with clinical insight from interviews with leading scholars and practitioners.

The authors - Fidler, Bala, and Saini - a psychologist, a lawyer and a social worker, are an multidisciplinary team who draw upon the growing body of mental health and legal literature to summarize the historical development and controversies surrounding the concept of "alienation" and explain the causes, dynamics, and differentiation of various types of parent-child relationship issues. The authors review research on prevalence, risk factors, indicators, assessment, and measurement to form a conceptual integration of multiple factors relevant to the etiology and maintenance of the problem of strained parent-child relationships. A differential approach to assessment and intervention is provided.

Children's rights, the role of their wishes and preferences in legal proceedings, and the short- and long-term impact of parental alienation are also discussed. Considering legal, clinical, prevention, and intervention strategies, and concluding with recommendations for practice, research, and policy, this book is a much-needed resource for mental health professionals, judges, family lawyers, child protection workers, mediators, and others who work with families dealing with divorce, separation, and child custody issues.

Table of Contents About the Authors


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1. Introduction1.1 The Prevalence of Alienation1.2 Prevalence of Alienation in Community Samples1.3 Increase in the Number of Alienation Cases1.4 Summary2. Definitions and Debates2.1 Historical Context2.2 The Difficulty in Defining Alienation2.3 Affinity and Alignment2.4 The Role of the Adversarial System and Professional Advisors2.5 Alienation Within the Context of High-Conflict Separations2.6 Distinguishing Alienation from Justified Rejection2.7 Mixed or Hybrid Cases2.8 Dynamics in Alienation Cases2.9 Alienation and False Allegations of Abuse2.10 Debates about Parental Alienation as a Diagnosis or Condition2.11 Summary3. Risk Factors and Indicators Involved in Alienation3.1 Extent and Limitations of Research on Alienation3.2 Current Evidence on the Social and Psychological Factors Associatedwith Alienation3.3 Interparental Factors Following Separation or Divorce3.4 Factors of the Favored Parent3.5 Factors of the Rejected Parent3.6 Factors of the Child3.7 Summary of Factors and Indicators4. Assessment and Measurement Tools for Alienation4.1 Clinical Judgment4.2 Decision Trees and Assessment Protocols4.3 Measurement Scales4.4 Differentiating Levels of and Responses to Strained Parent-ChildRelationships5. Prognosis and Long Term Consequences of Untreated Alienation onYoung Adults and Their Families5.1 The Impact of Alienation on Children and Adults who were Alienated asChildren5.2 Spontaneous Reconciliation5.3 When to Suspend Efforts or Letting Go6. Prevention6.1 Universal or Primary Prevention


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6.2 Public Awareness 6.3 Selected or Secondary Prevention 6.4 Indicated or Tertiary Prevention 6.5 Summary 7. Interventions, Educational and Therapeutic7.1 The Role of the Court in Educational and Therapeutic Interventions7.2 Principles and Guidelines7.3 Goals of Counseling7.4 Treatment Modalities, Approaches and Strategies7.5 Summary of Specific Interventions, Protocols or Approaches7.6 Aftercare, Training, Accessibility and Costs of Interventions7.7 Concluding Comments8. Hearing the Voices of Children in Alienation Cases8.1 Children's Stated Wishes: Clinical Perspectives8.2 Children's Right of Participation8.3 Children's Stated Wishes: Weight in the Courts8.4 Methods for Courts Hearing the Views & Wishes of Children8.5 Concluding Comments: Principles, Policies and Research9. Legal Responses to Alienation & Contact Problems9.1 Child's 'Rights,' Parental Duties & the Best Interests of the Child9.2 The Role of Mental Health Experts in Resolving Alienation Cases9.3 Enforcement issues and Judicial Remedies9.4 Therapeutic Interventions and the Court Process9.5 The Content of Agreements and Orders for Therapeutic Involvement9.6 Adjusting Visitation and Interim Orders9.7 Contempt of Court: Punitive Sanctions and Behavioral Conditions9.8 Police Enforcement9.9 Supervision of Contact9.10 Award of Legal Fees9.11 Joint Custody - Increasing Time in Care of Target Parent9.12 Custody Reversal: an Option for Severe Cases9.13 Suspension of Contact9.14 Deciding Not to Enforce Contact Despite Alienation9.15 Financial Penalties9.16 Case Management - The Need for Judicial Control9.17 Child Protection Agency Involvement9.18 The Importance of Timely Legal Intervention9.19 Conclusion: The Law as a Blunt but Necessary Instrument10. Recommendations for Practice, Policy & ResearchReferences


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https://global.oup.com/academic/product/parenting-plan-evaluations-9780199396580?cc=us&lang=en&

Parenting Plan Evaluations Applied Research for the Family Court, Second Edition

Edited by Leslie Drozd, Michael Saini and Nancy Olesen

Click to enlarge Price: $110.95 Format: Hardback 608 pp. 6.125" x 9.25" ISBN-10: 0199396582 ISBN-13: 9780199396580 Publication date: February 2016 Imprint: OUP US

More so than in any other form of forensic evaluation, mental health professionals who conduct parenting plan evaluations must have an understanding of the most current evidence in the areas of child development, optimal parenting plans across various populations, behavioral psychology, family violence, and legal issues to inform their opinions. In addition, family law judges and legal professionals require the best available


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evidence to support their decisions and positions.

Parenting Plan Evaluations has become the go-to source for the most current empirical evidence in the field of child custody disputes. Fully updated in this Second Edition, the volume continues its focus on translating and implementing research associated with the most important topics within the family court. It presents an organized and in-depth analysis of the latest research and offers specific recommendations for applying these findings to the issues in child custody disputes. Written by international experts in the field, chapters cover the most important and complex issues that arise in family court, such as attachment and overnight timesharing with very young children, co-parenting children with chronic medical conditions and developmental disorders, domestic violence during separation and divorce, alienation, gay and lesbian co-parents, and relocation, among others.

This volume assists forensic mental health professionals to proffer empirically based opinions, conclusions, and recommendations and assists family law judges and attorneys in evaluating the reliability of the information provided to the courts by mental health professionals in their reports and testimony. Not just for forensic evaluators, Parenting Plan Evaluations is a must-read for legal practitioners, family law judges and attorneys, and other professionals seeking to understand more about the science behind parenting plan evaluations.

Editors

Leslie Drozd, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child therapist specializing in family violence, substance abuse, resistance to contact, trauma, and consultations in parenting plan and child custody evaluations. She trains judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals and has a myriad of professional publications.

Michael Saini, PhD, is Associate Professor and endowed chair of Law and Social Work at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. He is the Co-Director of the Combined J.D. and M.S.W. program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and the Course Director of the 40-hour Foundations to Custody Evaluations with the faculty's Continuing Education Program. For the past 15 years, he has been conducting custody evaluations and assisting children's counsel for the Office of the Children's Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General in Ontario.

Nancy Olesen, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, doing assessment and psychotherapy, specializing in issues affecting divorcing families and providing expert testimony for family courts as well as teaching judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals about these issues and the parameters of competent practice in family court.

2016 Annual Texas AFCC Statewide Conference In...

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