Evidence-informed Interventions for Court-involved Families ― Promoting Healthy Coping and Development

Children at the center of high conflict divorce and/or child protection cases face increased risks to both current and future health and adjustment. There is a growing research base regarding these risks and the coping abilities that children need for successful adjustment, but training gaps and poorly structured services continue to be serious problems. The specific characteristics of these families, and risks faced by these children, underscore the importance of treatment, psychoeducation, and other services adapted to this population

Evidence-Informed Interventions for Court-Involved Families provides a critical, research-informed analysis of the core factors to include when developing child-centered approaches to therapy and other family interventions, both in a formal treatment setting and promoting healthy engagement with the other systems and activities critical to children's daily lives. This book addresses common problems, obstacles, and the backdrop of support from other professionals or the court, which may be necessary for successful intervention. An international team of renowned authors provide chapters covering a variety of service models and draw on a wide range of relevant research addressing the legal context, central issues for treatment and other services, and specialized issues such as trauma, family violence, parent-child contact problems, and children with special needs. The book assembles in one place the best of what is known about intervention for court-involved families, along with practical guidance for using relevant research, understanding its limitations, and matching service plans to families' needs. It will be an essential resource for all mental health professionals evaluating or providing services to these families, and to the lawyers and judges seeking a better understanding of what works for these families.

Lyn R. Greenberg, PhD, ABPP, provides parenting coordination, consultation, treatment and intervention services to court-involved children and families, as well as forensic expert and consultation services to attorneys and training/consultation services to mental health professionals. Speciality areas include interventions for complex child custody cases, including those involving children with special needs. She is a recipient of the AFCC Meyer Elkin's Award for this work. She served on the AFCC task force on Court Involved Therapists, co-edited the journal of Child Custody special issue on court-involved therapy, and has been recognized by the Society of Family Psychology for her work. She has been widely published on issues related to separation and divorce, child custody, ethics, child abuse, and treatment and other interventions for court involved and high conflict families. She presents and provides professional training both locally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Barbara J. Fidler, PhD, CPsych, AccFM, FDRP PC is a clinical developmental psychologist. She has worked with high conflict separation/divorce providing various dispute resolution services for over 34 years. She provides professional consultations and trainings to judges, lawyers, mediators and mental health professionals. Dr. Fidler is co-author of four books: two on child custody assessments and two on parent-child contact problems. She has authored many book chapters and journal articles, including three chapters in the recently published, Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation (2017). Dr. Fidler has been actively involved in the development and training of parenting coordination and sits on the AFCC Taskforce charged with updating the practice guidelines.

Michael A. Saini, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, and holds the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work and the Co-Director of the Combined J.D. and M.S.W. program. He is a Board Member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and an editorial board member for the Family Court Review and the Journal of Divorce and Remarriage. He provides risk management consultation for working with families involved in high conflict child custody disputes, he leads parent groups for separated families, he provides parent coaching, and for the past 18 years, he has been conducting custody evaluations and assisting children's counsel for the Office of the Children's Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General in Ontario. He has over 100 publications, including books, book chapters, government reports, systematic reviews and peer-reviewed journal articles. His publications have focused on access to justice, child custody disputes, interparental conflict, intimate partner violence, alienation, cultural dynamics of separated families, supervised visitation, virtual visitation, child protection services and parent competencies post separation and divorce.