May 19 Ask the Experts Premela G. Deck, JD, PhD, LICSW Introducing Parent-Child Contact Cases: A Guide to Aligning Professionals Using a Systems Perspective If you have ever worked on a case involving a child who refuses to see a parent, you already know how quickly things can unravel — not just within the family, but among the professionals trying to help them. Picture this: an attorney for the favored parent is convinced the other parent is dangerous and files emergency motions accordingly. A therapist working with the rejected parent shares, candidly, that they believe the child is being "brainwashed." The child's therapist, having only ever met with one parent, produces notes that read more like an advocacy document than a clinical record. Meanwhile, the family therapist — who was appointed to work with the whole system — is fielding calls from lawyers who want to know when she'll be "recommending" the child resume overnight visits. No one is collaborating. No one is certain what anyone else's role actually is. And the family, watching all of this unfold, is more entrenched than ever. Sound familiar?