Debra K. Carter, PhD, is a psychologist and parenting coordinator who has provided training across the globe. She chaired the AFCC Task Force that developed the 2019 AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Coordination. She is the author of numerous book chapters and articles including Parenting Coordination: A Practical Guide for Family Law Professionals. She is also the cofounder and training director of the National Cooperative Parenting Center (NCPC), which offers services to the mental health and legal communities in North America and around the globe. She is a former president of the AFCC Florida Chapter.
Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP, is a psychologist and a former AFCC President, who served on both the first AFCC task force and the APA task force that developed Guidelines for Parenting Coordination. She has provided training internationally and authored chapters and articles about parenting coordination, as well as other issues related to family conflict. She was the founder and the director of the Center of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law at William James College, where she developed the Certificate in Child and Family Forensic Issues. From 1990 until 2012, she was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, most recently as an associate clinical professor of psychology.
Shely Polak, PhD, MSW, RSW, is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus and the founder and director of Mackenzie Clinic, providing clinical and forensic services for families involved in separation and divorce. Dr. Polak is a renowned clinician recognized for conducting parenting plan evaluations, family mediation, reintegration therapy, voice of the child reports, parenting coordination, family therapy, expert witness services, and litigation consulting in family law matters. The combination of her clinical expertise and academic scholarship situates her as a leading contributor to the field of family law and high-conflict co-parenting. She is a former president of the AFCC Ontario Chapter.
Matthew J. Sullivan, PhD, has been on three AFCC Parenting Coordination task forces and is an internationally recognized author and trainer in this area of practice. He co-chaired the AFCC Task Force on Guidelines for Court-Involved Therapy and served on the American Psychological Association Ethics Committee. In 2012, he received the Joseph Drown Award from the California Chapter of AFCC for outstanding service to children and families. He is a former president of AFCC.