Working with Parents 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, Jeff will describe the phenomenon of high conflict separation and divorce and its effects of children and adolescents, and the effects on practitioners – more to affirm practitioners than educate them. Then he will 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: obtaining informed consent, maintaining a balanced therapy process, and create a context to “just let us do our work.”

This framework combines risk management for practitioners with respectful engagement of parents, and support for children and adolescents.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: 

Jeff Chang, Ph.D, R.Psych.

A Registered Psychologist in Alberta since 1987, Dr. Jeff Chang is a Professor in the Master of Counselling program at Athabasca University. He is also a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor Mentor in the Canadian Association for Couple and Family Therapy. Jeff has worked in children’s mental health, employee assistance programs, and private practice. He provides assessments and therapy with families experiencing high-conflict separation and divorce. Jeff also directs the psychological services at a special education school in Calgary.

His extensive experience includes child and adolescent mental health programs, employee assistance programs, private practice, and teaching at various post-secondary institutions.

Jeff is the supervision columnist for the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta’s (PAA) Psymposium Magazine, and the author and curator of PAA’s on-line supervision course. He presents and publishes in the areas of high conflict divorce, clinical supervision, and family therapy, supervises a group of Registered Provisional Psychologists, and consults to therapists on supervision, ethics, regulatory matters, and clinical issues in high-conflict divorce.