Parenting coordination is the most intensive intervention available to assist high-conflict co-parents with the implementation of their custody order (parenting plan). The combination of individual personality pathology in clients, their entrenched interparental conflict and the impact of immersion in the legal-adversarial context makes work as a PC one of the most challenging roles in the family Courts. Working on the interface of legal and mental health fields, PCs must be highly trained, experienced, and have extensive knowledge and skill in multiple domains. The goal of the PC process is to develop structures and train parents to minimize and manage interparental conflict so damaging to their children’s healthy development by adopting a parallel model of co-parenting.
Matthew J. Sullivan, Ph.D. clinical psychologist has been in private practice in Palo Alto, California, specializing in forensic and clinical work in the Family Courts for 30 years. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and books on topics related to work in high conflict shared custody situations. He is a pioneer in the development of Parenting Coordination role internationally. He is vice president of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). He currently serves on the American Psychological Association Ethics committee.
The 2018 International Symposium of Children Now regrouped numerous experts in family mediation through whom we had the chance to hear different conferences pertinent to how to deal with high conflict family situations.
Principles and Recommendations following the symposium are available at Theodone.com
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