Revitalized for 2027 with revised case material, updated research, two new judicial faculty members, and faculty discussion woven into every module.
Bonus: Includes a three-hour recorded primer to help participants build a strong foundation for this elevated, advanced training.
AFCC's advanced training on parent-child contact problems returns for 2027 with significant updates. The fictional family case presents with scenarios that reflect the competing allegations, regression, and non-compliance professionals encounter in practice. The faculty has updated the research throughout the program. Two judges join the team to bring a strong judicial perspective to every stage of a case. In each module, judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals discuss the case from their roleperspectives, so participants see where those views align and where they conflict. The program takes place online over four days, with two two-hour sessions each day.
Recordings will be available to registrants.
The experienced faculty will employ a multimedia approach to introduce a fictional family that reflects many of the complex dynamics professionals encounter when working with parent-child contact problems in the field. Participants will learn effective strategies for assessing these cases, including allegations and cross-allegations, identifying underlying causes, and developing nuanced approaches to resolution. The program will emphasize how to develop and test multiple hypotheses and craft recommendations that maximize successful outcomes while minimizing risks for families. Through video clips, teaching concepts, and group discussion, attendees will engage in a detailed examination of parent-child contact problems and the challenges that frequently arise in practice.
This program will incorporate both foundational and advanced concepts, including:
- A definition of parent-child contact problems (PCCPs)
- An overview of family dynamics and interrelationships
- Risk associated with “concept creep” and use of accurate terms to describe the dynamic
- Individual, interpersonal, and external factors that influence parent-child dynamics and intervention outcomes
- Multiple factors that predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate PCCPs
- Misaligned goals among family members and professionals in different roles within a case
- Family violence, and the different types of control that may occur, including coercive control
- Screening tools for family violence
- Parent alienating behaviors (PABs) in their various forms
- Specifics of the evaluation process, including identifying “red” and “green” flags to guide next steps
- Best practices for accurate assessment of families with allegations of abuse, alienation, or compromised parenting
- The Stepwise approach for PCCP cases
- Strategies for maximizing success and minimizing risk
- Mitigation of recency and confirmation bias
- Potential for biases across professional roles that can lead to misunderstanding
- Challenges associated with role confusion and court orders that require action beyond the scope of designated role
- Unique challenges faced by judges, attorneys, and clinicians
- Interventions, including possible goals for family members engaged in those interventions
- Challenges that arise when one parent seeks to move quickly in the process and the other seeks to delay
- Best practices when one parent is gatekeeping and the child refuses contact with the other parent
- Determining when to persist and when to disengage
- Responding when a family takes an unexpected turn
- Risk management considerations for attorneys and mental health clinicians
- Integration of and reference to the current research, ethics, and more
What's New for 2027
- Revised modules. Module 2 incorporates the latest research. Module 3 includes new material from AFCC’s 2026 Safety First Training. Modules 5 and 6 add judicial contributions and fresh dilemmas.
- Expanded case scenarios. Drawing on faculty observations, Module 7 adds new developments to the family's story and works through variations; involving competing allegations, regression, and non-compliance.
- Faculty discussion in every module. Faculty from different disciplines discuss each segment of the case from the perspective of professional roles.
- A redesigned closing session. Module 8 is now a moderated roundtable built around questions attendees have raised.
- Updated learning objectives focused on practical application, including client expectations, compliance mechanisms, and managing cases with limited resources.
- Additional judicial participation.
Attending again? Returning participants get new scenarios, new judicial perspectives, and a redesigned final session. First time attending? The three-hour recorded primer gives you the background you need to get the most out of the live sessions.
Learning Objectives
Participants in this online training program will be able to:
- Discuss factors in PCCP cases that are likely to lead to more successful outcomes.
- Discuss the role of attorney, therapist, and parents’ expectations in the outcome of PCCP cases.
- Describe the risks associated with “concept creep” and using imprecise terms to describe PCCP.
- List three ways to mitigate recency and/or confirmation bias in PCCP cases.
- Describe the various behaviors and dynamics that fit under the umbrella term “family violence.”
- Discuss the differences among various types of control potentially seen in PCCP cases.
- Identify three of the multiple factors that predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate parent-child contact problems.
- Identify five Parent Alienating Behaviors (PABs).
- Identify one mechanism by which a parent can be held accountable for compliance with a court order, or a therapy service agreement.
- Identify how attorneys can best establish expectations for clients.
- Identify three behaviors that demonstrate a parent is ready for parent child contact problem family therapy.
- Distinguish attorney’s duties as a legal advocate from their duties as a counselor advising on client interest.
- Apply specific strategies to common dilemmas that arise when interventions encounter resistance.
- Describe actions to take when children want their voices heard by the court, but it may be contraindicated.
- Analyze best practices to intervene in a PCCP case where there are allegations of parent-child gatekeeping and the child is refusing contact with one parent.
- Describe three ways to manage cases with limited resources.
- Discuss challenges when facing difficult personalities.