Custody/Parenting Plan Evaluation Training - 7 Day Training

DATES

TBD

COST

$1600 per participant

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Some parents are unable to resolve custody and parenting time disputes, even with the wide availability of ADR processes. A Custody/Parenting Plan Evaluation, when done thoroughly and ethically, can help families, attorneys, and courts resolve these issues This 43-hour training addresses the "how-to's" as well as the complexities of the evaluation process. It includes such topics as:

• Creating an evaluative protocol
• Use of psychological testing and questionnaires
• Conducting parent and child interviews and observations
• Using collateral information to inform the process
• Identifying and addressing Domestic Violence dynamics
• Identifying and accounting for Resist/Refuse dynamics
• Drafting and presenting recommendations and reports
• Addressing bias in an evaluative process

This training is based on AFCC best practice guidelines, as well as Minnesota law and practice. It combines lecture, interactive discussion of topics, and application of concepts through simulation.

Minimum Qualifications: Current licensed mental health provider, licensed attorney, or Guardian ad Litem, with minimum of five years' experience working with families or individuals in the process of separation/divorce.

TRAINERS

Mindy F. Minitnick, EdM, MA, Licensed Psychologist

Mindy F. Mitnick is a Licensed Psychologist practicing in Minneapolis. She received a Master of Education from Harvard University and a Master of Arts from the University of Minnesota. She specializes in work with families in the divorce process and with victims of abuse and their families. She has been a speaker for the National Child Protection Training Center, Office of the Children’s Lawyer in Canada, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and numerous statewide multidisciplinary training programs. Ms. Mitnick has written and taught extensively about the assessment of child sexual abuse allegations during custody disputes. Ms. Mitnick served as a member of the Minnesota Custody Dialogue Group that rewrote the state’s Best Interest Factors and co-chaired the Child-Focused Parenting Time Guide workgroup. Ms. Mitnick is the Past President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Jennifer E. Joseph, JD, is an attorney in private practice; however, her practice focuses solely on providing Alternative Dispute Resolution and other neutral services in family law matters. Ms. Joseph specializes in helping parents resolve custody, parenting, and co-parenting disputes through her work as a mediator, parenting coordinator, parenting coach, custody evaluator, and SENE (social early neutral evaluation) provider.

Ms. Joseph is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. In addition to her private ADR practice, she has served as an adjunct professor of family law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and provides training and continuing legal education to family law professionals. Ms. Joseph presents regularly on family law and ADR issues to professional associations and organizations across the country. Ms. Joseph is a long-time member of the international Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). She is a former President of the Minnesota AFCC Chapter. Ms. Joseph is also the current Vice President on the Board of Directors for Overcoming Barriers, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding more systemic solutions to families experiencing parent-child contact problems.