Nurturing the Next Generation with Purpose and Precision
Family Law Forensic Mental Health (FLFMH) is facing a critical juncture. With many professionals retiring or leaving the field—often due to its inherently litigious nature and the demands it places on practitioners—there is a growing shortage of qualified experts. This exodus is creating a significant gap in access to essential services for families and the courts. The few remaining specialists are stretched thin, managing overwhelming caseloads and extended waitlists. Meanwhile, most academic and clinical training programs offer limited, if any, opportunities for education in FLFMH, making it difficult for new professionals to enter the field.
As a seasoned expert in forensic mental health, your experience is not only valuable—it is urgently needed. Mentorship is more than a duty; it is a way to shape the future of the profession. The following ten tips are designed to help you support and inspire the next generation of FLFMH professionals with clarity, integrity, and lasting impact.
- Model Ethical Rigor
Reinforce unwavering commitment to ethics in practice, especially in high-stakes forensic settings where decisions can affect legal outcomes. Instill a strong understanding of the ethical complexities unique to FLFMH, such as dual roles, therapeutic privilege, impartiality in high-conflict cases, and boundaries with clients and attorneys.
- Demystify the Courtroom
Share firsthand insights on testifying, writing defensible reports, and managing cross-examination stress. Help mentees build courtroom confidence. Provide basic education on legal procedures, terminology, and the roles of different players (judges, attorneys, GALs, etc.). Help mentees see where their work fits into the broader legal system.
- Promote Reflective Practice
Encourage mentees to question assumptions, process emotional responses, and continuously evaluate their own biases and judgments. Encourage mentees to critically think by asking thoughtful questions, increasing cultural competence, exploring multiple hypotheses, and avoiding premature conclusions. Teach them to weigh evidence objectively in emotionally charged environments.
- Normalize the Emotional Demands
Acknowledge and discuss the emotional toll of FLFMH work. Discuss the impact of conflict, pressure from attorneys, judges, or other professionals, as well as vicarious trauma. Share personal strategies for maintaining mental well-being and professional resilience, such as turning your email off after working hours or not responding to provocative emails right away.
- Encourage Interdisciplinary Thinking
Forensic mental health spans law, psychology, psychiatry, and social work. Help mentees understand how to communicate and collaborate across fields. Encourage mentees to understand the ethical roles and duties of the other professionals to better understand the motivations behind their actions and to learn better strategies for collaborating.
- Highlight the Value of Documentation
Stress the importance of clear, objective, and defensible documentation. Work with your mentees to show them how to communicate complex findings in accessible, unbiased language supported by facts obtained from multiple sources. Offer to read drafts and provide examples of prior work.
- Create Opportunities for Shadowing
Let new professionals observe assessments, court proceedings, or team meetings when possible. Learning by observation is powerful. If shadowing real cases is not possible, involve mentees in redacted case reviews, mock interviews, or role-playing opportunities. Real-world exposure helps bridge the gap between theory and practice.
- Give Real Feedback—Not Just Praise
Constructive critique is key to growth. Focus on specific improvements and build confidence through clear, actionable advice. Document the advice and action steps so that both mentor and mentee are clear on expectations.
- Foster Professional Identity
Help mentees define their roles—not just as clinicians, but as forensic professionals with a unique skillset and ethical duty. Often, forensic mental health professionals feel displaced as they practice mental health in the unfamiliar world of litigation. Encourage mentees to network with other forensic mental health professionals to help foster their growth and professional identity.
- Stay Accessible—but Set Boundaries
Be available for guidance while encouraging independence. Great mentors empower rather than rescue. When a challenge arises, rather than telling the mentee what to do, ask the mentee how they would like to handle the situation and then offer feedback. Encourage the mentee to think of multiple solutions to an issue and land on the solution they feel is defensible.
Premela Deck, JD, PhD is a forensic social worker, family law attorney, educator, and researcher. She runs a group forensic mental health practice, SD Family Services, Inc., in Massachusetts. Along with her team, she employs several interventions for court-involved families, including parent coordination, family and individual therapy, Guardian ad Litem reports/custody evaluations, consulting, and support groups for court-involved individuals. Premela's work is informed by her experience as a litigator, researcher, and clinician. Premela serves on the board of directors for the Massachusetts chapter of AFCC.