Working with Kids in High-Conflict Divorce: Safe, Effective, and Ethical Practice for the “Average” Therapist

Children of high-conflict separation and divorce need our help, but the context does not make it easy for us as child, adolescent, and family therapists.

Parents in high conflict may not agree on the need for therapy or which therapist to select. One parent may see the other parent’s suggestion for therapy for their child as the beginning of a campaign to reduce their parenting time. The apparently high proportion of regulatory complaints is legendary. Ethics professors, who have likely avoided these kinds of situations, are typically little help, simply warning students to stay away from these families. Senior colleagues and clinical supervisors can provide emotional support, sometimes with a “I’m glad you it’s you and not me” sentiment, but more often than not, lack the knowledge to provide clear guidance. In this workshop, Dr. Jeff Chang provides a framework that combines risk management for practitioners with respectful engagement of parents, and support for children and adolescents.

In this workshop, Dr. Jeff Chang will:

• Describe the phenomenon of high conflict separation and divorce and its effects of children and adolescents, and the effects on practitioners
• Provide a framework for “getting parents (or guardians) in the door” in a way that shows that as practitioners, we are not aligned with one parent
• Give insight into obtaining informed consent, maintaining a balanced therapy process, and creating a context to “just let us do our work”