Learning Objectives

Participants in this training will be able to:

  • Define parent-child contact problems (PCCPs)
  • Describe strategies to intervene in an enmeshed parent-child relationship
  • List three early factors that suggest a family is appropriate for PCCP interventions
  • Describe the risks associated with “concept creep” and the use of imprecise terms to describe PCCPs
  • Examine best practices for accurate assessment of families with allegations of abuse, alienation, and compromised parenting
  • Examine the Stepwise approach to PCCP cases
  • Describe the many areas covered under the term “family violence”
  • Discuss the differences among various types of control exerted by PCCP parents
  • Identify multiple factors that predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate parent-child contact problems
  • Identify parent alienating behaviors (PABs) in their various forms
  • Identify the steps needed to set up an intervention
  • Determine possible intervention goals for family members who are engaged in a family intervention
  • Describe actions to take when a rejected parent wants the intervention to move faster and the favored parent wants to stall
  • Explain what to do when a court order requires you to determine parenting time
  • Discuss the role of a judge and the unique challenges faced by members of the judiciary in PCCP cases
  • Discuss ethical dilemmas unique to different professional roles that present when working with PCCP dynamics
  • Utilize a framework for developing and delivering apologies in parent-child relationships
  • Analyze best practices to intervene in a PCCP case when allegations of parent-child gatekeeping are present, and a child is refusing contact with one parent
  • Discuss the factors that help determine when to persist in a parent-child reconciliation and when to let go
  • Describe strategies to employ when a PCCP case shifts in unexpected directions
  • Discuss the role of an attorney representing a parent in a case with PCCP dynamics and the unique challenges faced by lawyers
  • Discuss the role of an attorney representing a child who is resisting contact with a parent
  • Describe strategies for navigating misalignment among different professionals in different roles within the same case
  • Identify two factors that determine a successful intervention