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January 2024
VOL. 19 No. 1
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 |  | Every member of AFCC was at one time a prospective member and something prompted them to join. For me it was an email. In 2007, I opened a message from Bob Smith, former AFCC president (2010-2011), in which he told me about the upcoming AFCC fall conference and invited me to join. I was in solo practice as a psychologist, conducting parenting plan evaluations and providing therapeutic services for court-involved families. I perused the conference brochure and thought, “Wow! This looks great.” I joined at the conference rate and off I went to my first AFCC conference. Like many before me, I was awestruck by the relevancy and excellence of the workshops, the warmth of AFCC staff and leaders, and the wealth of knowledge and resources offered by AFCC. I felt energized by new ideas and was thrilled to come home with new “tools in my toolbox” to aid me in my practice. I had found my professional home. I have barely missed an AFCC conference since. I continue to grow, learn, and be inspired by the AFCC community. The vast array of learning opportunities, access to research and resources, and connections to outstanding experts in the field have been invaluable to me. These are my primary reasons for being a member of AFCC. I thank Bob Smith often for that email he sent me so many years ago! Continue Reading.
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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, ABPP
Read the program brochure and register today!
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There remains much debate about the question of causality versus selection bias in the application of social science research on 50/50 shared parenting plans. Some have called for policies and legislation to support presumptions of shared parenting while others have suggested an individualized assessment of the child’s best interest in each case. This webinar brings together two research scholars, both with interest in positive outcomes for children and families post separation and divorce. The presenters will debate and discuss the various parenting plans schedules that have been proposed and evaluated in the social sciences. The presenters will also deliberate on the benefits and limitations of presumptions of equal parenting time from both policy and practice perspectives. The goal of the webinar is not for the audience to choose sides, but instead to be better informed by contemplating the issues at the heart of these longstanding debates.
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| |  | William V. Fabricius received his MA in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College, and PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a professor in the department of Psychology, and an Affiliated Faculty in Law and Behavioral Science, at Arizona State University. His research focuses on young children’s cognitive development, the role of fathers in adolescent and young adult development, and social policy regarding child custody after parental divorce. In 2010, he received the Science and Research Award presented by the Arizona Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He previously served by Gubernatorial appointment on the Domestic Relations Committee at the Arizona State Legislature, and as Chair of the Ad Hoc Custody Workgroup on the Domestic Relations Committee, resulting in passage of major reforms to the Arizona Revised Statutes, making Arizona the first state to have a de facto rebuttable presumption that it is in children’s best interests to have equal parenting time with both parents after parental separation. Dr. Fabricius has published, received substantial grants for his work, and is a recognized national and international speaker.
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Michael Saini, PhD holds the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work, and he is the Co-Director of the combined J.D. / M.S.W. program at the University of Toronto and the Coordinator of the Children and Families Field of Study at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Canada. Prof. Saini has over 200 publications, including books, published articles, and book chapters that address children and families’ wellbeing in systems governed by law. He is currently President-Elect of AFCC, a Board Member of Access for | |
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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 E. Garriott, Jr., JD; Sarah G. Buitrago, JD; & Alana R. Hollings, PsyD
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 to receive the link to join.
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Hon. Kevin M. Duffan, a graduate of James Madison University and the William & Mary School of Law, is currently a presiding judge on the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Virginia. He previously served as a judge on the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court before his April 2020 elevation to Circuit Court. Judge Duffan serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, is faculty member for the Virginia State Bar course on professionalism and is the current Vice President for the I’Anson Hoffman American Inn of Courts. Judge Duffan served as the legal analyst for the ABC News affiliate in the Hampton Roads metro area and has been as a panelist, lecturer, or keynote speaker nationwide on topics ranging from family law to criminal procedure. | |
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Richard E. Garriott, Jr., JD, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He focuses his practice on the areas of family law and civil litigation. Richard helps clients with cases involving divorce, property settlement agreements, child custody, and premarital agreements. He also represents clients in matters involving child protective services. As a former President of the Virginia Bar Association, Richard is recognized statewide as a preeminent advocate in divorce and custody disputes. | |
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Alana R. Hollings, PsyD, is a clinical and forensic psychologist and certified as a sex offender treatment provider. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in forensics and completed her post-doctoral training at a maximum-security forensic hospital in Atascadero, California. In full-time private practice since 2007, Dr. Hollings conducts forensic evaluations for state, military and federal courts, private attorneys, and the Department of Social Services. She routinely testifies as an expert witness on a wide range of legal controversies including parental fitness, custody situations, trauma, child sexual abuse, trial competence and mental state at the time of the offense. | |
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Sarah G. Buitrago, JD, practices family law exclusively as an Associate at Wolcott Rivers Gates in Virginia Beach. She was a 2021 attendee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Institute for Family Law Associates, taught by a nationally renowned faculty of Academy Fellows. Sarah is a member of the I’Anson-Hoffman American Inn of Court, and she is the 2022 Chair of the Virginia Beach Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee. | |
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More Upcoming Webinars!
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 (DE&I Series)
Carla Adkison-Johnson, PhD & Trae Bell
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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Family Court Review
Special Issue: Family Violence and Parenting
Volume 62, Issue 1
The January issue of FCR will be coming out soon. This issue is the first ever FCR issue to be published exclusively in a digital format. This edition is a special issue on intimate partner violence which was edited by guest editors Robin Deutsch, Leslie Drozd, and Michael Saini.
See below for a list of articles with corresponding abstracts. To read the full articles that have been published so far, please see the FCR Archives on AFCC's homepage.
Guest Editors’ Introduction to the Special Issue on Family Violence and Parenting
Robin Deutsch, Leslie Drozd, and Michael Saini
Intimate Partner Violence Screening for Separate or Divorcing Parents: An Introduction to the Mediator’s Assessment of Safety Issues and Concerns-Short (Masics)
Fernanda Rossi, Amy Applegate, Claire Tomlinson, and Amy Holtzworth Munroe
Implications of Intimate Partner Physical Violence and Substance Misuse for Parenting
Daniel O’Leary
Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ+ Community: Implications for Family Court Professionals (No Abstract Available Yet)
Lindsey Davis and Emily Crain
Parent Child Contact Problems: Family Violence and Parental Alienation Behaviors: Either/Or, Neither/Nor, Both/And, One in the Same?
Matthew Sullivan, Marsha Kline Pruett, and Janet Johnston
Justice Metamorphosis: Moving from Reactive to Proactive Strategies to Remotely Protect Families from Intimate Partner Violence
Alicia Davis, Sarah Vandenberg Van Zee, and Conor Geiger
Engaging Fathers Who Commit Family Violence: Issues and Challenges for Family Courts
Katreena Scott, Robert Nonomura, Dan Zamfir, Peter Jaffe, Shaz Bukhari, and Lisa Heslop
Mitigating the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy and Early Childhood: A Dyadic Approach to Psychotherapy
Carolyn Ponting, Rachel Tomlinson, Ann Chu, and Alicia Lieberman
Coparenting and Intimate Partner Violence
Jennifer Hardesty, Brian Ogolsky, and Tanitoluwa Akinbode
Defining Points and Transformative Turns in Family Violence, Parenting and Coparenting Disputes
Michael Saini, Robin Deutsch, and Leslie Drozd
A Call for Early, Effective, and Scalable Parent Education for High-Conflict Separated/Divorcing Parents: A Synthesized Perspective from Prevention Science and Family Law
Karey O’Hara and Bruce Cohen
The Lived Experiences of Children/Young People in the Aotearoa-New Zealand Family Court System
Kath Orr
Are Child Custody Evaluations Beneficial to Family Law Judges? A Study from the Judicial Perspective
Tammi Axelson, Jennifer Gentile
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Sign Up for Alerts
Articles are often available before their quarterly release, sign up for alerts and be notified as soon as a new article is posted.
If you miss an article or issue, then you can find them in the FCR archives which can be accessed via the member center on the AFCC website.
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Hon. Dianna Gould-Saltman, AFCC member from California and a former president of AFCC has announced her retirement after more than 13 years on the bench in Los Angeles County, California; she will officially retire on March 1, 2024. Dianna practiced in family law for many years before her rise to the bench and received the Spencer Brandeis Award this year from the Los Angeles County Bar Association for her “extraordinary impact upon the advancement of family law due to her creative legal advocacy and commitment to service to the family law community.” The recipient of several awards for her contributions to the field during her career, Dianna was also the recipient of the AFCC John E. Van Duzer Distinguished Service Award in 2023. She has been a frequent presenter at AFCC Conferences and has offered judicial insights through her publications related to a variety of family law issues. Congratulations Dianna!
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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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