Personality Disorders: Lunch & Learn Series Part 3/4

How Personality Disorders Can Contribute to High-Conflict Dynamics

This program examines the specific ways personality disorders and maladaptive personality traits fuel high-conflict patterns in families, professional relationships, and legal matters. Participants will learn how emotional reactivity, cognitive distortions, interpersonal sensitivities, and rigid coping strategies can escalate disputes and undermine collaborative problem-solving. Through a practical, research-informed framework, the training highlights warning signs, predictable conflict cycles, and common pitfalls professionals encounter when these dynamics are present. Designed for interdisciplinary professionals, this session equips attendees with tools to identify personality-driven conflict behaviors early and respond in ways that promote stability, structure, and reduced escalation.

For Legal Professionals:

Attending this program will help you recognize how personality-driven behaviors escalate disputes, complicate negotiations, and impact case progression, allowing you to plan and advocate more strategically. You’ll gain practical tools to manage high-conflict interactions, reduce reactivity, and maintain structure in cases where personality disorders play a significant role.

For Mental Health Professionals:

This training will deepen your understanding of how personality disorders contribute to intense relational patterns, therapeutic ruptures, and chronic co-parenting conflict. You’ll learn strategies to maintain boundaries, anticipate escalation, and intervene more effectively when high-conflict dynamics threaten the stability of treatment or family functioning.

Speaker Bios:

Jennifer E. Joseph is an attorney in private practice; however, her practice focuses solely on providing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and other neutral services in family law matters. Ms. Joseph specializes in helping parents resolve parenting and co-parenting disputes through her work as a

mediator, parenting coordinator, parenting coach, custody evaluator, early neutral evaluator, and Special Master.

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 education to family law professionals through various local, regional

and national organizations. Ms. Joseph is on the Board of Directors of the international Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). She is a former President of the Minnesota AFCC Chapter (AFCC- MN). Ms. Joseph is also the current President of the Board of Directors for Overcoming Barriers, a non- profit organization dedicated to working with professionals to develop systemic solutions for families experiencing parent-child contact problems.

Carol L. Hornbeck is a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in both Minnesota and Indiana.  She brings 25 years of experience in working with couples, families and individuals across the lifespan.  From 2005 to 2018 she served as program staff for New Day for Children and Families of Divorce in Indianapolis, a directional support group focused on helping families rebuild their lives after divorce.  Her most recent practice has specialized in parent-child relationship repair and family inter-generational work, as well as play therapy with young children.

Prior to her clinical work, Ms. Hornbeck was a national educator and consultant on boundaries and ethics for clergy, and worked with non profit secular and religious organizations on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.

Ms. Hornbeck received an MA, MFT from Christian Theological Seminary Clinical Training Program in Indianapolis.  She co-chairs the Education Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of AFCC Minnesota.  Ms. Hornbeck maintains a small private practice in therapy and parent coaching.  She also provides expert witness and consulting services, and speaks on a variety of topics related to mental health across the lifespan.