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December 2023
VOL. 18 No. 12
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With the approaching year-end of 2023, the anticipation builds for the upcoming announcements from various dictionaries, including authoritative sources such as the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, about the release of their annual addition of novel words and updates into their lexicons for the year 2024. This juncture presents a valuable opportunity for legal and mental health professionals to reflect upon the evolving language employed throughout the past year in the context of family law. Notable linguistic developments encompass the emergence of terms like "concept creep," "legal abuse," and "parenting plan evaluations," alongside the fading usage of phrases such as "sole custody," "visitation," and "child custody evaluations." Observing these linguistic shifts serves as a lens through which one can gain insights into the transformative dynamics within the realm of family law. Continue Reading.
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January 16-18, 2024
A 12-hour online training program for family law, mental health, and dispute resolution professionals.
This program addresses the challenges often associated with the most intractable family disputes, including intimate partner violence, interviewing children, child abuse/neglect, - and new this year, court-involved therapy, and ethical considerations. Presenters will share the latest and most relevant research, while examining the many controversies related to these issues from multiple perspectives.
The program takes place in two segments per day, two hours each. Registration includes access to recordings of all training program sessions.
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Training Team:
- Gabrielle Davis, JD
- Lyn R. Greenberg, PhD, ABPP
- Mindy F. Mitnick, EdM, MA
- Matthew J. Sullivan, PhD
- Nancy Ver Steegh, JD
- Jeffrey P. Wittmann, PhD
The program brochure is available along with the registration.
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March 11-14, and March 18-20, 2024
An expanded 28-hour online training program for professionals interested in parenting plan evaluations.
This comprehensive parenting plan evaluation (PPE) training program is conducted online by a team of leading practitioners and trainers. The program will take place in two segments per day, two hours each. Recordings of all sessions will be available for registrants.
This program will incorporate a complete overview of the parenting plan evaluation process, including:
- Definition of the purpose and roles of the parenting plan evaluator
- Specifics of the evaluation process, including interviewing, recordkeeping, and use of technology
- Implications of intimate partner violence and resist-refuse dynamics
- Updates on current research
- Implications of relocations and consideration of special needs children
- Implications of child maltreatment, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse
- Development of parenting plans
- Review of cultural considerations, biases, and ethical issues
- Utilization of psychological testing
- Best practices for report writing and testifying
Participants will learn the difference between a forensic role and a clinical role, how to review court orders and determine what information should be obtained, strategies for interviewing adults and children, how to assess coparenting issues, how to develop and test multiple hypotheses, and how to craft recommendations.
Training Team:
- Chioma Ajoku, JD, PhD, ABPP
- Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP
- April Harris-Britt, PhD
- Kathleen McNamara, PhD
- Terry Singh, PhD
Read the program brochure and register today!
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High conflict cases are marked by intense emotions, prolonged disputes, and allegations of child abuse, domestic violence, alienation, substance abuse, and false allegations of abuse. In the stress of dealing with these cases, confirmation bias is common and can be hard to overcome. This webinar will address the nature of confirmation bias, including some brain science, and how it can easily block gaining a full understanding of the facts of a case. Case examples will be given demonstrating how dangerous confirmation bias can be for parents and children, and a simple method for preventing confirmation bias.
| | Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. is a family lawyer, family therapist and family mediator. He is also the Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute based in San Diego, California. He is the author of over twenty books and manuals for dealing with high conflict personalities and situations. He is the developer of the New Ways for Families® method and the New Ways for Mediation® method. | | | |
Registration
Members: $15
Non-Members: $50
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Certificate of Attendance
Members: $15
Non-members: $20
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Military Families: Untangling Biases and Balancing Cultural Considerations (DE&I Series)
Hon. Kevin M. Duffan; Richard Garriott, JD; Sarah Buitrago, JD; & Alana Hollings, PhD
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
4:00pm-6:00pm Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Registration closes January 23, 2024, at 9am Eastern Time US
From the unique legal protections afforded to active duty, deployed military members to the nuances of circumstances ranging from intimate partner violence, relocation, and PTSD – military families bring a host of additional considerations when they present in Family Court. A panel of experts will explore how to navigate the intersection of military culture and family law with separation, divorce and the implementation of parenting plans which factor in the potential impact for parent-child relationships stemming from absences of a parent who is deployed. The panel will also discuss the role of bias and the importance of thorough evaluation when allegations arise that incorporate reference to a PTSD diagnosis to appropriately balance safety, access, and the best interests of individual family members.
This webinar is free to attend, but you must register in order to receive the link to join.
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More Upcoming Webinars!
Equal Parenting Time in Practice and Policy: A Friendly Debate and Discussion
William V. Fabricius, PhD & Michael A. Saini, PhD
February 13, 2024
Family Matters 2.0: Navigating Family Law in the Age of AI
Susan E. Guthrie, JD
March 5, 2024
The "Good Enough" Parenting Plan Evaluation
Leslie M. Drozd, PhD
April 9, 2024
Disrupting Anti-Black Racism in the Judicial System: A Focus on Child Rearing and African American Parents
Carla Adkison-Johnson, PhD
April 17, 2024
Grappling with No: Children Declining Treatment in the Age of Consent
Barbara J. Fidler, PhD, CPsych & Stacey E. Platt, JD
May 8, 2024
The Hats We Wear as Court Experts: Roles, Conflicts, and Helpfulness
Jeffrey P. Wittmann, PhD
June 18, 2024
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AFCC Seeks Next Executive Director
The AFCC seeks as its next Executive Director, a respected, knowledgeable leader in the family law and dispute resolution field who additionally brings skills or acumen in strategy, partnerships development, and fiscal and team management. The incoming ED will have the opportunity to: build on a talented team’s outstanding work; step into an organization in a strong financial position; and drive programmatic impact and growth for the AFCC of the future. Read the job description to learn more about the position.
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Coming Soon from Family Court Review
Beginning in January 2024, Family Court Review (FCR) will be disseminated in digital format only, so the AFCC eNEWS will be highlighting future issues, and when each issue is fully published online, AFCC will send an email notification along with the table of contents and a link to the issue through the AFCC website. January’s issue of FCR is a special issue on intimate partner violence, edited by Robin Deutsch, Leslie Drozd, and Michael Saini and include the following articles.
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Access the FCR Online!
All FCR articles will be posted to the FCR archives which can be accessed via the member center on the AFCC website. There you can read any new articles or previous articles you may have missed.
Make sure to sign up for alerts for when a new article is published in FCR which will allow you to stay up to date on the latest research.
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Hon. Liberty Aldrich, AFCC member from New York, has been named as the Executive Director of The Children’s Law Center (CLC). CLC’s mission is to give children strong and effective voices in critical legal proceedings. As the former Managing Director and General Counsel for the Center for Court Innovation, Liberty steered the organization through substantial growth, overseeing operations, human resources, and development. She has a rich history of advocacy in family law, domestic violence, and child protective matters for New York City’s most vulnerable populations. Thus, CLC leadership is confident she will provide solid leadership while expanding partnerships and community engagement. Congratulations, Liberty!
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AFCC eNEWS
The AFCC eNEWS is the monthly e-newsletter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. The eNEWS provides up-to-date information for professionals including practice tips, international news, and the latest initiatives in family law and conflict resolution. The AFCC eNEWS is provided at no charge to you; anyone can subscribe. Subscribe here.
AFCC members are free to share eNEWS content.
EDITOR:
Ann Ordway, JD, PhD
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
Patrick Sommer
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