Posts Tagged ‘Parent Education promotion’

Evaluate, Coordinate, call “Alienator!” Pt. 4– Three AFCC Ph.D.’s on ONE case & “PAS” = 2011 NH Supreme Court custody reversal. And what’s Warshak got to do with it? [First publ. June 15, 2011, not on blog TOC yet].

This post title with a “shortlink” attached is:

Evaluate, Coordinate, call “Alienator!” Pt. 4– Three AFCC Ph.D.’s on ONE case & “PAS” = 2011 NH Supreme Court custody reversal. And what’s Warshak got to do with it? [First publ. June 15, 2011, not on blog TOC yet]. (WordPress-generated, case-sensitive shortlink ends “-JR”. Note: for normal URLs (web addresses), upper or lower case alpha doesn’t seem to matter, but I’ve learned that within this domain (WordPress) and in such short-links, it does.

LGH UPDATE NOTE: My current table of contents only goes back to Sept., 2012; this is a June 15, 2011 post (early on in this blogger’s learning curve!) so would only be found by search, some other link reference to it, or by Year/Month/Date through the “Archives” (by month) on this blog.

I added some quick (not thorough) updates on Overcoming Barriers at the bottom in response to a comment submitted March, 2016…including tax returns, California corporate registration (Massachusetts could also be searched).

For a December 2017 Update (which at first I thought might fit in here), see:

Revisiting Reunification Camps and Treatments, The good Clinical Psychologist Just Want to Help Traumatized People and “Families in Transition” (or “Transitioning Families”), the Good, Ole Court-Ordered (and of course (™)’d Service Model) Way. Case-sensitive shortlink ends “-8cC” and this was written Dec. 16, 2017, starting as a post update to [another] one for which I wanted to cite to this older post on reunification camps for “estranged” families, but from different angle of approach, as that one explains in the first few paragraphs. After that, on “Revisiting Reunification Camps,” above, I get into looking at what isn’t apparently a large operation, but one with connections in more than one state to the family court system. It’s in draft, but will be a short post and out Dec. 16 or 17, 2017. [Published Dec. 21 + (additions/clarifications) 22nd] //LGH.

I expect to publish (shortly) a follow-up to the Reunification Camps post above, some information I came across recently which connects the AFCC-drenched providers of at least three camps (Two mentioned here, one featured in my recent post above], the new one trademarked only 2016 (described in the above post) whose lead psychologist apparently was on-call from the NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) who shortly after Jaycee Dugard (and the two children born to her 18-year-long kidnapper rapist and herself) were rescued, was put in touch with Dugard who then (2009/2010) got a $20M settlement from the State of California and set up the JayC Foundation (of very modest size, but it seems in part supporting the reunification camps used ALSO to force-feed alienated children back in to the parent’s life, particularly in cases where the alienation is connected to litigation around the issues of abuse/domestic violence by the “targeted” parent (the one the kids don’t want to see).

(TRANSITIONING FAMILIES, STABLE PATHS (Abigail M. Judge (“clinician”) Boston, S.Florida, with involvement from Transitioning Families clinician R. Bailey. who has a recent book out co-authored with one of the co-founders (mentioned below in THIS older post) of “Overcoming Barriers.” In addition, in the context of a recent case (2015) of Judge Gorcya and 3 children aged 9-14 ordered into “juvie detention” for refusing to have lunch with their father then, at last check, attempts to get them for aftercare into some Reunification camp — the Detroit Free Press (now part of USA Today franchise) reporting said the Judge was hoping to get them into Warshak’s “Family Bridges” or one modeled on it — in Toronto, Canada!!, while Dr. Bailey was quoted in the context). I’m taking bets (just kidding) on how long Gorcya has been (if she is) an AFCC member and how much of that county’s system the association controls. Michigan is also long home, at least by organization name, to a batterers’ intervention coalition (BISC-MI). //LGH 12/22/2017.

I was just going to add a very short update (that comment, it seems, in March 2016), but instead added a section on renewed Parental Alienation discussions, and the socialist “re-education camps” in Viet Nam after South fell to the North, in 1975. Similar in other countries. Major quality and scope difference — but force is force, and at some levels, it’s also a form of psychological, personal violence. In my opinion. So, the original (written/published in 2011) post begins in maroon font and below a double-line after the following paragraphs and a few quotes:

Speaking of how to continue keeping “Parental Alienation” conversation going — and ordering services to undo it through the family courts — I recently noticed that a “Dr. Craig Childress” (Craig A. Childress, Psy.D.) is resurrecting parental alienation under a different theory; I have some comments on it over at Red Herring Alert (a wordpress blog). “Same old, same old” with new window dressing and tactics (Childress recommends pressuring providers who do NOT recommend IMMEDIATE, safety-for-the-child total separation from the alienating parent (i.e., “mom” typically) through their licensing board, if this could be categorized under some existing DSM-defined disorder.

You cannot really argue with self-referencing, self-congratulating circles of experts on this matter which is why I recommend a more interesting angle of approach: If they incorporate, find tax returns and corporate records; if they get contracts with the courts, or government grants to run “reunification camps” and similar therapy for parental alienation (in its old or new classifications), pay attention to the details!

The technique and ability to re-indoctrinate people in groups, as well as children, was also in common use in socialist countries; I believe the term used was “re-education camps,” referring to those in South Viet Nam after the fall of Saigon in 1975: Search “Vietnamese Re-Education Camps: A Brief History” (that’s supplemental reading, from a man’s father’s oral history — he lived through such camps — from “Choices” program at Brown; see website) or “Vietnamese Re-Education Camps” from “VietNamWar.info.”

The second link introduces and describes the various levels. I wonder, in the USA, why the country is so heavily invested in a class of professionals whose purpose seems to be behavioral change and keeping up-to-date with tactics and strategies for re-indoctrinating children, women and men into their proper social relationships with each other and particularly after one or more of the same has spoken out about some prior injustice, or sought to escape being subjected to abuse by a family member. These camps apparently went on from 1975 – 1986 until people still being held were allowed to emigrate to the US.

“Vietnamese Re-Education Camps” from “VietNamWar.info.” Posted 4/17/2014 by “kubia”

Following the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, Vietnamese Communist government began to open hundreds of “re-education” camps throughout the country. Those camps, as Hanoi officially claimed, were places where individuals could “learn about the ways of the new government” through education and socially constructive labor.

In 1975, it was estimated that around 1 to 2.5 million people1, including former officers, religious leaders, intellectuals, merchants, employees of the old regime, and even some Communists, entered the camps in the hope that they could quickly reconcile with the new government and continued their peaceful life. However, their time in those camps did not last for ten days or two weeks as the government had claimed.

Re-education Camps Levels

The re-education camps were organized into five levels. The level-one camps which were called as study camps or day-study centers located mainly in major urban centers, often in public parks, and allowed attendees to return home each night. In those camps, some 500,000 people2 were instructed about socialism, new government policy in order to unlearn their old ways of thinking. The level-two camps had a similar purpose as the level-one, but attendees were not allowed to return home for three to six months. During the 1970s, at least 200,000 inmates entered more than three hundred level–two camps2.

The level-three re-education camps, known as the socialist-reform camps, could be found in almost every Southern Vietnam province containing at least 50,000 inmates2. Most of them were educated people and thus less susceptible to manipulation than most South Vietnamese in the level-one and two camps. Therefore, the inmates (or prisoners) in these camps had to suffer poorer living conditions, forced labor and daily communist indoctrination.

The last two types of camps were used to incarcerate more “dangerous” southern individuals – including writers, legislator teachers, supreme court judges, province chiefs – until the South was stable to permit their release. By separating members of certain social classes of the old regime, Hanoi wanted to prevent them from conducting joint resistances and forced them to conform to the new social norms. In 1987, at least 15,000 “dangerous” persons were still incarcerated level-four and level-five camps2.

Camp Conditions and Deaths

In most of the re-education camps, living conditions were inhumane. Prisoners were treated with little food, poor sanitation, and no medical care3. They were also assigned to do hard and risky work such as clearing the jungle, constructing barracks, digging wells, cutting trees and even mine field sweeping without necessary working equipments.

Although those hard work required a lot of energy, their provided food portions were extremely small. As a prisoner recall, the experience of hunger dominated every man in his camp. Food was the only thing they talked about. Even when they were quiet, food still haunted their thoughts, their sleep and their dreams. Worse still, various diseases such as malaria, beriberi and dysentery were widespread in some of the camps. As many prisoners were weakened by the lack of food, those diseases could now easily take away their lives.

Starvation diet, overwork, diseases and harshly punishment resulted in a high death rate of the prisoners. According to academic studies of American researchers, a total of 165,000 Vietnamese people died in those camps4.

The End of “Re-education” Period

Most of the re-education camps were operated until 1986 when Nguyen Van Linh became the General Secretary of the Communist Party. He began to close the harsher camps and reformed the others5. Two year later, Washington and Hanoi reached an agreement that Vietnam would free all former soldiers and officials of the old regime who were still held in re-education camps across the country and allowed them to emigrate to the United States under the Orderly Departure Program (ODP). As of August 1995, around 405,000 Vietnamese prisoners and their families were resettled in the U.S6.

– See more at: thevietnamwar.info/vietnamese-re-education-camps/..

The forced “Reunification Camps” (far less harsh, but still forced, and still designed to produce an attitude change) have their professionals willing to engage in these practices.

I think it must take a certain kind of mentality, if not personality aberrancy, to believe in this and what’s more preach about it and take in business to engage in it.

For some reason, those “Re-education camps” remind me of, though lesser in degree, the same idea as, for example, “overcoming barriers.” It’s still based on force — and who knows how many similar programs are operating around the country. As I write this, the Grazzini-Rucki runaway teens were reported (in 2016) to being re-indoctrinated to like their father (who they’d run away from as young teens), while the mother, until recently, was incarcerated for parental interference. See my more recent 2016 posts).

Here’s a sample. I see he’s from Pasadena, California (Los Angeles area). To see it in better formatting (the “copy” function sometimes removes all spaces between words!) click on link:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/165394444/Dr-Craig-Childress-DSM-5-Diagnosis-of-Parental-Alienation-Processes#scribd.

C. A. CHILDRESS, Psy.D.LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, PSY 18857

547 S. MARENGO DR., STE 105 • PASADENA, CA 91101 • (909) 821-5398

Page 1 of 10

DSM-5 Diagnosis of “ParentalAlienation”

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Written by Let's Get Honest|She Looks It Up

June 15, 2011 at 3:54 pm

Posted in AFCC, Business Enterprise, Cast, Script, Characters, Scenery, Stage Directions, Designer Families, History of Family Court, Mandatory Mediation, Metaphors for Family Law, My Takes, and Favorite Takes, Organizations, Foundations, Associations NGO Hybrids

Tagged with Access-Visitation, AFCC, BenjaminGarber PhD, Child Molestation, David Medoff PhD, Demosthenes LorandrosPhD, domestic violence, Douglas Darnell PhD, Due process, Family Bridges tm, Isolina Ricci, LSOTP=Licensed Sex Offender Treatment Provider, obfuscation, Overcoming Barriers (Mass Entity also reg in California), Parent Education promotion, PCANH, Peddling Reunification Programs, Peggie Ward PhD, Piled Higher and Deeper in NH, Pruetts, Reunification Camps, Richard Warshak PhD, Robin Walton Brown TX, Ron Haskins, Studying Humans, Supervised Visitation, Terr L. Bauer LCSW LSOTP, The Hon Debra Lehrmann TX Supreme Court AFCC, The Hon Sean Dunphy MA judge, U.S. Govt $$ hard @ work.

Evaluate, Coordinate, Prepare to Call “Alienator!” — Pt. 2: CFCC and AFCC people Nunn, Depner, Ricci, Stahl, Pruett(s), and others DV groups fail to talk about

REMINDER — in CALIFORNIA — Three accepted purposes of the A/V funds system remain:

Supervised Visitation is an idea from that became an industry spawned and sprouted by some of the above groups, and watered by the US federal funds to the states. The link cites the supporting 1996 legislation… For a reminder

California’s Access to Visitation Grant Program (Fiscal Year 2009–2010)

REPORT TO THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE MARCH 2010

Federal and State Program Goals

The congressional goal of the Child Access and Visitation Grant Program is to “remove barriers and increase opportunities for biological parents who are not living in the same household as their children to become more involved in their children lives.”3 Under the federal statute, Child Access and Visitation Grant funds may be used to

support and facilitate noncustodial parents’ access to and visitation [with] their children by means of activities including mediation (both voluntary and mandatory), counseling, education, development of parenting plans, visitation enforcement** (including monitoring, supervision and neutral drop-off and pick-up), and development of guidelines for visitation and alternative custody arrangements.4

The use of the funds in California, however, is limited by state statute to three types of programs:5

Supervised visitation and exchange services;

Education about protecting children during family disruption; and

Group counseling services for parents and children.

(This report has been prepared and submitted to the California Legislature under Family Code section 3204(d).Copyright © 2010 by Judicial Council of California/Administrative Office of the Courts. All rights reserved.)

**isn’t it interesting — if a court order exists, but is not being complied with, wouldn’t “visitation enforcement” be the simplest solution? Dad, Mom — obey your visitation court order. But somehow California wasn’t interested in that aspect, but wants the A, B, C, of Supervised Visitation & Exchange Services; of “Educating Parents about “protecting children during family disruptions” {the Kids Turn component) and getting people into group counseling, parents and children both.

If the whole concept sounds like AFCC, it is. In 2000, I see a report planning how to use “court-based mediation” for child custody. (California Judicial Council, Administrative Office of the Courts, “CFCC” (Center for Families & Children in the Courts). This shows Isolini Ricci, Ph.D. under this CFCC:

Report 12 Executive Summary (Sept 2000)

Preparing Court-Based Child Custody Mediation Services for the Future

KEY PERSONNEL POSITIONED TO SET POLICY are AFCC.

As of 2010, the top two personnel (Director, Assistant Director) of this Center for Families & Children in the Courts are AFCC, I’m pretty sure (Nunn/Depner).

I notice Diane Nunn (attorney), Isolini Ricci (Ph.D., and AFCC leader, author, etc.), and here, Charlene Depner was “Supervising Research Analyst,” but by 2010 (above) was Assistant Director of the entire CFCC. Depner is an AFCC member. AFCC members are coached to, or at least always seem to, talk about “Parental Alienation” and ‘High-conflict” parents, or divorces, usually in the same breath, for example:

Parental Alienation”: A Continuum of Responses in High Conflict Divorce

-by Mindy F. Mitnick, EdM/MA {search my blog, she’s AFCC. Note degrees — a professional educator….}

(She is AFCC board of directors, currently)

DIANE NUNN

LEADERSHIP AND NEW ROLES FOR THE JUDICIARY a 2002 conference at Univ. of Pacific McGeorge School of Law,

with emphasis on Criminal Justice
“The Many Faces of California’s Courts”
Diane Nunn, Director, Center for Families, Children & the Courts,
California Administrative Office of the Courts, “She supervises projects related to family, juvenile, child support, custody, visitation, and domestic violence law and procedure. Ongoing projects include training, education, research and statistical analysis.” (Note, presenting alongside Bill Lockyer, then California Attorney General, whose wife Nadia ran (til recently) the Alameda County Family Justice Center).

FALL 2004 AFCC Newsletter

Diane Nunn listed as not just “AFCC” but “AFCC Advisory Council” in an inset column — alongside some well-known names, such as Janet Johnston, Joan Kelly, Philip Stahl (all Ph.Ds), and — please note — Jessica Pearson. (See yesterday’s post, or search my blog). Plus a passel of judges, including from other countries. I count ten (10) Judges, just a few J.D.s and Ph.D.’s (I’ll bet, several in psychology or psychiatry), some unlabeled, some educators (M.Ed.D.) and social workers, I presume.

About this Newsletter, let’s notice the “Thanks!” list:

AFCC wishes to thank Symposium sponsors and exhibitors for their support:

Children’s Rights Council, Hawaii (that’s CRC)

Christine Coates, JD, Dispute Resolution Training Complete Equity Markets, Inc.

Dr. Philip M. Stahl, ParentingAfterDivorce.com (alienation promoter)

Family Law Software, Inc. J.M.Craig Press, Inc. LifeBridge

The LOGO for the newsletters shows children and has the subtitle “KIDS COUNT ON US.”

It’s an eyeopener to start seeing the AFCC conference and newsletter material. For example, among the Parent Educators, in fine print it lists “Kids First, Chet Mukliewicz, Dunmore, PA” (more on him, in this post if I get to it. Kids First is a Kids Turn knockoff, it sells publications by AFCC personnel, including Isolini Ricci, Philip Stahl, Richard Warshak, and of course himself. In addition, it takes referral business from at least one other state court besides the one where he lives, and he holds a contract with Lackawanna County, PA, which court is being compared (in print) to the Luzerne County, PA “Kids for Cash” scandal. …. This is product positioning and marketing, basically. Janet Johnston, Ph.D. (in this 2004 letter) is welcomed as Associated Editor of the “Family Court Review” (which AFCC puts out) and is revealed as to having previously worked as executive director of “Protecting Children from Conflict,” itself an affiliate of Judith WallersteinCenter for the Family in Transition in California .

3 Pruetts — one on Board of Directors (C. Eileen) , 2 (Kyle & Marsha Kline) as main presenters. Is Eileen related to the other Pruetts from California? (I don’t know — it’s not an usual name. But I’d like to know!).

That’s handy…. C. Eileen Pruett lists on Jigsaw as “Dispute Resolution Program Coordinator” under the Hon. Francis Sweeney (Columbus, Ohio). AFCC pushesmediation as a solution for custody disputes, even though most custody disputes are acknowledged to have elements of violence and/or abuse, including child abuse.

A 1999 Supreme Court of Ohio Task Force Report called “Family Law Reform: Minimizing Conflict, Maximizing Families” on Reforming the Courts from Ohio lists her as:

Eileen Pruett and the Supreme Court of Ohio Office of Dispute Resolution Special Committee on Parent Education for the material on parent education, which is replicated in Appendix D.

In Ohio, “To achieve this goal, the Task Force recommend(ed, in 1999): 1) All parties in proceedings that involve the allocation of parental functions and responsibilities should attend parenting education seminars……Sixty-seven Ohio counties currently mandate parent education seminars for all divorcing parents;

Note on this Task Force: The Executive Director of it (Kathleen Clark), was AFCC Board of Directors at least in 2004 (see newsletter) and acknowledges AFCC allegiance. In fact, a search of both “AFCC” and (AFCC written out) totals 11 references to this task force report — which also details how (besides lifting the parent education segment from an AFCC board of directors) also relates how as part of OHIO’s task force, they flew to Arizona and attended what appears to be presentations at AFCC, including by some members on the task force who were AFCC presenters.

In fact, in its own (1999) words:

More than two dozen experts from around the state and across the country presented testimony to the Task Force over a six-month period. Representatives from a variety of parents’ organizations, as well as a panel of teens who had experienced their parents’ divorces, brought their unique concerns to the Task Force. Staff members obtained research articles and statutes from around the nation and the globe to find the latest policies and practices. Members of the Task Force traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to meet with staff at the Maricopa County Court system, a nationally recognized leader in court services and pro se programs, and to conferences sponsored by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an internationally acclaimed organization which provides research and programs for professionals dealing with families in conflict.

Given who was on the task force, and what it did, this kind of conclusion is a little predictable:

The following report and recommendations are the result of this extensive research effort and debate and have been unanimously approved, without any abstentions or dissents, by official action of the 17 members of the Task Force present at the final meeting on June 1, 2001.

That’s OHIO flying to Arizona (which has its own chapter of AFCC, and where Philip Stahl happens to live, now that he’s left Northern California) to meet with a Court Administrator to coach themselves how to be GOOD AFCC members and make sure not to swerve from the policy of talking about “conflict” more than criminal issues or domestic violence issues.

Here’s another (undated) AZ supreme court, what looks like Domestic Relations training committee (of some sort) which is heavily AFCC laced, Just click on it and search for “Association of Family and….” and see… Arizona also happens to be where Sanford Braver, Ph.D. practices. Philip Knox, that they went to visit (from Ohio Task force) also worked (it says) with the California AOC (on which Nunn & Depner sit, under CFCC) on promoting a Unified Family Court.

The OTHER Pruetts (I’m still on that 2004 AFCC flyer which mentions Diane Nunn as AFCC “Advisory Task Force”) include Dr. Kyle (child psychiatrist from Yale) and his wife Marsha Kline (also a Ph.D.). They have three daughters and one son and have naturally dedicated themselves to promoting fatherhood, as a search on “Marsha Kline Pruett, Kyle Pruett Fatherhood” will readily show, at a glance. Dr. Marsha Kline even got an award for “Fatherhood Initiative Community Recognition Award, State of Connecticut (2002), and Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award, Awarded by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She is definitely (with I gather her husband, Dr. Kyle) on the Grants stream for investigation: “University of California, Berkeley: Supporting Father Involvement 7/1/09-6/30/12: Total (T) $176,924 Marsha Kline Pruett, Ph.D., Co-InvestigatorUniversity of California, Berkeley: Supporting Father Involvement 7/1/04-6/30/09: Total (T) $353,849 Marsha Kline Pruett, Ph.D., Co-Investigator

The Pruetts, being a double-Ph.D. married family with academic connections to Yale, Berkeley, Tufts, Smith, etc. and on the conference AND grants circuit would of course have first-hand experience and understanding what it’s like to be on welfare, and forced to litigate for years in the family law system, whether a father (to chose between child support issues, or litigate, allowing more business to be driven to the professionals) or a mother (struggling to retain custody, or for survival, or (foolishly, given the state of the field nowadays) for child support enforcement. AND, they are AFCC. One psychologist & MSL, and one Psychiatrist.

Basically, if you browse family law reading lists, literature, or establishments, you will run across AFCC members referencing each others’ publications. These publications may say “domestic violence” but will juxtapose it with “Parental alienation” and then talk about “conflict” which in the case of DV, is a euphemism. Many of the lists still reference Richard Gardner. “Reading Materials for Parents and Children Going Through A Divorce“

CHARLENE DEPNER, Ph.D., AFCC, etc.

Now (just for the heck of it), more on “Charlene Depner, Ph.D.” First of all, Ph.D. in what? the answer — per LinkedIn, is Social Psychology at U Michigan

Assistant Division Director, Cntr for Families, Children & Courts, CA Administrative Office of the Courts Govt. Admin. Industry 1988 – Present (23 years)/ Education: U Michigan, PhD, Social Psychology 1972 – 1978

So it appears, about 10 years, if any, in private practice or employment of some sort?

Yesterday, I ran across a comment (I believe I know who its author is) on an “AngryDadBlogspot” which related some more (Nepotism?) in San Diego between a supervised visitation provider (already found to be practicing without a license) and the family justice center — which started there, apparently, in San Diego. That’s not today’s topic — but here it is:

A 2006 NCJRS study of families at supervision centers in NY reads:

A. Does the history of violence in the relationship predict whether the visits are supervised or unsupervised?

We found no statistically significant relationships between the history of physical and psychological abuse or injuries and court orders to a supervised visitation center, family supervised visits or unsupervised visitation. More than three quarters of the participants had experienced severe forms of physical and psychological abuse from the father of their children. One can surmise that these pervasive experiences provided no useful information to the court to determine which fathers might pose a current and ongoing danger.

The one exception was severe injuries, which had been experienced by less than half the participants (46%). Nevertheless, fathers who had severely injured their former partners were no more likely to be ordered to supervised visitation than unsupervised visitation.

A 1996 report (issued by this CA Judicial Council AOC) on “Future Directions for Mandatory Child-Custody Mediation Services:….”

” notes:

Court-based child custody mediations affect the fate of nearly 100,000 California children each year. Many of them are already at risk when parents come to court. Currently, one- third of all mediations address concerns about a child’s emotional well-being. Child Protective Services has investigated a report about children in 33 percent of all families seen in mediation. Children in half of all mediating families have witnessed domestic violence. Today’s Family Court faces the serious challenge of protecting the best interests of the next generation.

Well, pushing mediation does not appear to be the solution!

Joan Meier, of DV Leap writes on this, and most any battered women’s advocate without AFCC collaboration in the bloodstream, might say the same thing — it’s counter-indicated! Whatsamatta here? Joan Meier, of “George Washington University Law School” (and ‘DVLEAP.org”) as posted in a noncustodial mother’s blog. NOTE: She quotes both Janet Johnston, Ph.D. (AFCC leadership) and Depner, who both acknowledge that MOST of the the high-conflict cases entail child abuse or domestic violence. This has been known since the 1990s….

Most Cases Going To Court As High Conflict Contested Custody Cases Have History Of Domestic Violence

By JOAN S. MEIER, George Washington University Law School

Janet Johnston’s publications

Janet Johnston is best known as a researcher of high conflict divorce and parental alienation. {{NOTE how AFCC often pairs those terms– that’s an AFCC language habit}}. Not a particular friend of domestic violence advocates or perspectives, she has been one of the first to note that domestic violence issues should be seen as the norm, not the exception, in custody litigation.

Johnston has noted that approximately 80% of divorce cases are settled, either up front, or as the case moves through the process. Studies have found that only approximately 20% of divorcing or separating families take the case to court. Only approximately 4-5% ultimately go to trial, with most cases settling at some point earlier in the process.

– Janet R. Johnston et al, “Allegations and Substantiations of Abuse in Custody-Disputing Families,” Family Court Review, Vol. 43, No. 2, April 2005, 284-294, p. 284;
– Janet R. Johnston, “High-Conflict Divorce,” The Future of Children, Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring 1994, 165-182, p. 167 both citing large study by Maccoby and Mnookin, DIVIDING THE CHILD: SOCIAL AND LEGAL DILEMMAS OF CUSTODY. Cambridge, MA: Harvard U. Press (1992).

Johnston cites another study done in California by Depner and colleagues, which found that, among custody litigants referred to mediation, “[p]hysical aggression had occurred between 75% and 70% of the parents . . . even though the couples had been separated… [for an average of 30-42 months]”. Furthermore, [i]n 35% of the first sample and 48% of the second, [the violence] was denoted as severe and involved battering and threatening to use or using a weapon.”

Mediation is an easy way to increase noncustodial parenting time without the protections that facts & evidence, without the disclosure of conflicts of interests a judge has to abide by, without the attorney-client work product relationship, and much more — in short, without the PROTECTIONS — that a regular trial might afford, and finish. Mandated mediation is bad enough. Some counties (in Calif) also have what’s called “recommending” status to the court-appointed mediators, meaning, their reports are taken more seriously by judges. I have seen how this works year after year (from being in the courtroom) — the mediator’s report is often delivered IN the courtroom, and NOT prior to the hearing, if then. It is typically a shocker, and this really violates due process, but it’s accepted practice. Mediation is the poor-person’s “supervised visitation / custody evaluation.” If no private family member can be made to pay for the latter two, or then the quick & dirty custody hearing is going to involve mediation.

Guess which organization is heavily composed of mediators, and ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution services) and emphasizes this to unclog the courts? You betcha — AFCC.

· Attempts to leave a violent partner with children, is one of the most significant factors associated with severe domestic violence and death.
– Websdale, N. (1999). Understanding Domestic Homicide. Boston, MA: University Press.

· A majority of separating parents are able to develop a post-separation parenting plan for their children with minimal intervention of the family court system. However, in 20% of the cases greater intervention was required by lawyers, court-related personnel (such as mediators and evaluators) and judges. In the majority of these cases, which are commonly referred to as “high-conflict,” domestic violence is a significant issue.
– Johnston, J.R. (1994). “High-conflict divorce.” Future of Children, 4, 165-182.

What “DVLEAP” does in its own words:

A STRONGER VOICE FOR JUSTICE

Despite the reforms of recent decades, battered women and children continue to face unfair treatment and troubling results in court. Appeals can overturn unjust trial court outcomes – but they require special expertise and are often prohibitively expensive.

We empower victims and their advocates by providing expert representation for appeals; educating pro bono counsel through in-depth consultation and mentoring; training lawyers, judges, and others on cutting-edge issues; and spearheading the DV community’s advocacy in Supreme Court cases

(photo also from this site):

They even have a “Custody and Abuse” program, and have taken on the “PAS” theme. These are specific cases that have been taken to the Appeals or even Supreme Court (state) level. Here (found on-line) is an Arkansas Case where they took on “PAS” alongside: Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Justice for Children and The Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence (on which I believe Ms. Meier is a board or advisory member), the NCADV, and National Association of Women Lawyers. It is an Amicus Brief and will likely go to discredit PAS.

The Leadership Council’s:

Mission Statement

The Leadership Council is a nonprofit independent scientific organization composed of respected scientists, clinicians, educators, legal scholars, journalists, and public policy analysts.

Our mission is to promote the ethical application of psychological science to human welfare. We are committed to providing professionals and laypersons with accurate, research-based information about a variety of mental health issues and to preserving society’s commitment to protect its most vulnerable members.

Goals

To develop a coalition among professionals within the scientific community, the legal system, the political system and the media to provide professionals and laypersons with accurate information about mental health practice and research which helps insure access to the highest quality of care. (and several others are listed. . . . . .. )

In the bottom line, the Leadership Council is still talking psychology, acknowledging trauma, and opposing “PAS” — but, who they are and what they do is clear — “Apply Psychological Science Ethically.” So, if you put this psychological group together with some domestic violence lawyers, or lawyers who recognize that batterers (etc.) are getting custody — you just the opposite of the AFCC “J.D. & Ph.D.” combo of attorney & mental health practitioners

The problem is — the AFCC, being around longer, and having strategized better — have the judges, too.

As I look at The Leadership Council’s page on “Child Custody & PAS” and associated “resources” below, I notice that they have said NOTHING about the things I blog on, and some others, individuals, who have simply observed. There is a striking omission of the organizations promoting “alienation” theory — no mention of AFCC, CRC, or the influence of the Child Support System & Grants Stream on how cases are decided. While NAFCJ (and a similar Illinois group) are listed — for a change — they are one in a dozen-plus links that a mother in a crisis system could not sort through or wade through in time to help her case — if indeed that information even would.

I appreciate the work these organizations do to “out” that violence does indeed happen in the home. Of course most people experiencing it know this already….

But how much better might it have been to give TIMELY information on the operational structure of the courts, and who is paying whom. How in the world can one enter a contest being ignorant of the habits and devices of the opposite side? What’s up with that?

So, I talk about these things. And so do a FEW others.

Domestic Violence Nonprofit DVLEAP gets a “Sunshine Peace” award:

“This award is so meaningful to me,” said Professor Meier, “because I have so much respect for others who have received it in the past. I am also grateful to the Sunshine Lady Foundation for the financial contribution to DV LEAP associated with the award which will make a significant difference to our small organization that manages to accomplish so much with so few resources.”

According to the Sunshine Lady Foundation (which was founded by Doris Buffett), the Sunshine Peace Award program “recognizes extraordinary individuals who make a difference; those who help to build communities that are intolerant of domestic violence and through whose work peoples’ lives are changed for the better.”
Since Professor Meier founded DV LEAP in 2003, the organization has worked on cutting-edge issues in the domestic violence field, submitting 6 friend of court briefs in the Supreme Court. In the past year, in addition to lecturing and consulting with survivors, DV LEAP staff have worked on 10 appeals, a remarkable output for an organization of its size

Well,this is all very nice — and certainly I”m sure professional work. But is it the most important task? I say: NO! Neither DVLEAP nor the State Coaliations (why, I hope to show soon enough), nor the related Leadership Council mention the operational systems of the courts — which is their related professional associations and nonprofits — as well as the grants stream and the child support system. How hard is that to comprehend? There are different systems working within to promote more and more work for the marriage counseling and therapy industry, PERIOD.

For example:

They did not mention that in 1999, in Ohio, an AFCC-laced Task Force lifted some AFCC_designed policies for custody, then flew to Arizona to attend an AFCC conference as part of their transformations of the courts. These groups do not mention, typically, fatherhood funding, or the history of Family Law as an offshoot of a brainstorm between “Roger & Meyer” (Judge Pfaff and Counselor Meyer Elkin) long ago, or anything at all about the Marv Byer discoveries in the late 1990s. They don’t mention that around the US, “fatherhood commissions” building of the National Fatherhood Initiative have been formed to legalize some of the policies these very groups say they oppose. Nor, FYI, do they (for example) broadcast to women that the NCADV and associated alliances are actually collaborating with the father’s groups at the national and financing level, and talking policy with them.

They certainly don’t mention when a local legislator slips in some bill to legalize steering court business to court professionals, as Senator Christine Kehoe (San Diego area) did when an Assemblyperson in 2002 (proposing a bill naming Kids’ Turn in its first draft; see my “kicking salesmanship up a notch” post), or as She (sponsoring?) did again in SB 557 (with her chief of staff then and now Assemblyperson, Atkins) in legalizing the “Family Justice Center Model with an alliance run out of the San Diego City’s original brainchild.

Nor do they mention how the money keeps flowing in after conferences, for example, as in this 2008 AFCC conference:

Not only does the material itself show (coach) professionals how to be prejudiced against mothers — but it also probably more than breaks even (though aren’t judges paid enough in our states?) by selling the stuff!

READ THIS! Read every sentence and simply think about it. This is the pre-game and post-game plan for a custody hearing. And it’s only one of how many?

These are existing people who decided WHERE kids live (or don’t), whether they see their own parents’ income go to professionals and evaluators, or to the children’s future college funds, or simply survival funds. This is AFCC conference material:

Your Price: $25.00
Item Number: AFCC-08-011-M
Quantity:
Email this page to a friend

This panel will demonstrate how the judge, evaluator, psychologist performing psychological testing and the childrens therapist work together to complete the evaluation process. The panel will present an actual case in which a family comes to the court with allegations that mother is alienating the children and is clinically depressed. Father is asking for full custody. Mother is making counter allegations that father and his live-in girlfriend are verbally and emotionally abusing the three children. The parents have a history of high conflict and the police have been called many times to keep the peace. The family is referred for a child custody evaluation. The panel will demonstrate how the evaluator relies on the childrens therapist and the psychologist performing psychological testing on the parents, fathers girlfriend, and the child experiencing emotional distress, for information and case consultation in order to give the judge the most complete history and assessment possible. The panel will describe how and why the recommendations were made for this family.

The police were probably called because someone (not both) was being assaulted. However, a single evaluation of a police call might obtain the cause of the call. To “keep the peace” is an evasion. 911, or non-emergency police calls have causes. We all know this. If the police were called many times to “keep the peace” was no referral made? Was no restraining order solicited? Why not get to the bottom FIRST of whether or not a crime was committed. THEN, if the answer is conclusively, NO, it might go to the next level.

Why do that, however, when a custody evaluation can be instead ordered.

I might just get this product and find out how they frame the situation.

To be continued . . . .

@@@

Written by Let's Get Honest|She Looks It Up

June 15, 2011 at 1:56 pm

(“I turn, You turn, Kids’ Turn,” cont’d.) Resurrecting Gardner, Promoting Each Other — how AFCC does it…. [Org. Publ. May 23, 2011]

with one comment

THIS POST IS: (“I turn, You turn, Kids’ Turn,” cont’d.) Resurrecting Gardner, Promoting Each Other — how AFCC does it…. [Org. Publ. May 23, 2011] (short-link ends “-H5” | under 4,000 words, but I think you should see this one still..//LGH Sept. 30, 2019]

SEE ALSO (this post continues..from) I turn, You turn, We all (must) turn to “Kids’ Turn” (and spinoffs)…per AFCC.. [Orig. Publ. May 23, 2011, #2 of 2, same-day]. (short-link ends “-GO” (last character is “O” as in “Ohio”, about 6,500 words)

(So, fire me because my titles need work…..)

LOOK — it’s time to stop some of this Government-Funded, Privately-Harvested, Closed-Circle Direct-Selling Schemes run by the people we send our W-2s to year after year. The Family Law system IS, basically, AFCC. It wouldn’t exist without it. Can you picture, for example, a world without mental health professionals and therapists?

Was there a time they didn’t exist, or the priests, prophets, pastors, clergy or neighborhood know-it-alls did a worse job? While the US is not comfortable with calling itself a theocracy, it has rapidly become one, with a few name-changes, label-switching and addition of the worship of money never far from religion anyhow).

SERIOUSLY NOW, this is how Richard Gardner (allegedly) died. But his ideas live on, however re-phrased, dissected at length (same general concept, though) and expanded in scope and application.

Attorney Richard Ducote commenting, after the news, on a 2003 yahoo group email:

Father” of P.A.S., Richard Gardner commits suicide Topic List < Prev Topic | Next Topic >

Reply < Prev Message | Next Message >

Subject: DR. RICHARD GARDNER’S SUICIDE
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 08:33:44 EDT
From: Richard Ducote, Attorney at Law, New Orleans, LAParental Alienation Syndrome is a bogus, pro-pedophillic fraud concocted by Richard Gardner. I was the last attorney to cross examine Gardner. In Paterson, NJ, He admitted that he has not spoken to the Dean of Columbia’s med school for over 15 years, and has not had hospital admitting privileges for over 25 years. He has not been court appointed to do anything for decades. The only two appellate courts in the country who have considered the question of whether PAS meets the Frye test, i.e., whether it is generally accepted in the
scientific community, said it does not. As Dr. Paul Fink, former president of the American Psychiatric Association has stated, Dr. Gardner and PAS should be only a “pathetic footnote” in psychiatric history. Gardner and his
bogus theory have done untold damage to sexually and physically abused children and their protective parents. PAS has been rejected by every reputable organization considering it. In a Florida case in which I was recently involved, when the judge insisted on a Frye hearing, Gardner simply did not show up.Perhaps because he finally realized that the entire nation was on to his scam, he committed suicide on May 25. Let’s pray that his ridiculous, dangerous PAS foolishness died with him.Richard Ducote, attorney at law, New Orleans, LA

We should be so lucky….The idea didn’t die …nd here’s why, and where it’s been preserved and disseminated:

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs

September 26 – 27, 2008/Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Ka-CHING! Factor, right in your back yard:

Separating (with a conflict about custody) parents ARE going to have to deal with many of these people, including a lot of judges on the membership. Isn’t it about time to underestand the playbook, by a sneak peek at them preparing the next set of game plans?

Boycott your next rally or protest (Million Dads, Million Moms, DC protests, begging the President, or anyone else who looks like (note; “Looks like”) they give a damn and hold political office, to fix the courts — when they are like as not among those who ‘fixed’ (as in, rigged) them to start with!

Do your internet time and start reading the behind-the-scenes dialogue of the scriptwriters. Although I’m sure there are also the closed-door meetings, the off-the-record conversations — one can still learn a lot by simply looking somewhere else. THEY take advantage of the internet, but too many mothers (and fathers) get on-line to gripe and complain, and too few do their homework and figure out a thing or two about HOW IT WORKS.

Which only results in higher emotions and more clients for court-referred anger therapy (or — see below).

There are reasons why you may be broke, and the professionals are not. This is among them!

INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS ON CD

AFCC 8002 Ultimate CD ROM (Eighth International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs) CD ROM?s are the complete conference package including each session?s audio (recorded live!) in MP3 format. $ 99.00 $

AFCC 8111 Opening Session: Domestic Violence and Differentiation: The Impact on Parent Education Programs $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8112 Parent Education as Part of a Thriving Practice $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8113 FromLecture to Life $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8114 Teaching Parents to Parent: A Solution-Focused Approach $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8115 Workingwith Latino Parents $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8116 Cooperative Co-parenting vs. Parallel Parenting $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8117 Creatively Advancing Parent Education with Federal Access & Visitation Grant Funds: The Colorado Experience $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8118 Research for Rookies $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8119 Integrating the Internet into On-site Divorce Education $ 15.00 $

AFCC 8120 Stripped Down or Fully Loaded: Can Courts Deliver Parenting Programs that Change the Impact of Divorce on Children? $ 15.00 $

Mastercard Visa AMEX

Card Number
Expiration
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 / 201120172011201220132014201520162017 CCV#Whats This?

SubTotals Non-Taxable $

Taxable $

Tax Rate Tax Due $

PROCESS ORDER

I have covered many of these sessions elsewhere, and definitely brought up this material already.

I have developed the habit of going to different courts and seeing which parenting programs are being pushed. I found out many roads read back to Stahl, as in Philip, Ph.D.

There should be ZERO (0.00) questions any more that this group — AFCC — is, and is ONLY — a professional ring of judges and other professionals defining market niches for each other. They can DO this because of positioning, and continuing to write into law their own ideas about parenting. The funding for this fiasco (which it is — it is a disgrace! — that we still tolerate listening to this shlock year after year, and that stable married parents or stable, employed, nonparents, haven’t become aware of what’s driving their neighbor’s horrible divorce and custody issues — and who hasn’t heard at least one war story?).

STATES pay judges, and sometimes COUNTIES. COUNTIES pay — lots of people. FEDERAL GOV’T (HHS I”m thinking of, specifically) ALSO PAYS A SH*TLOAD of $$ yearly — I supposed under the vague Constitutional Concept of “public benefit” to allegedly “help” families break up — by forcing them, essentially, not to.

If they would allow half (or more) of these families to breakup, rather than grabbing their time, their kids, and any assets — or, if none, their SS#s to use (honestly or fraudulently, as in the case of Maximus, Inc.) – these families would probably figure out, from the experience, how to start, and run a profitable business WITHOUT stealing from others. After all, chances are by now, they’ve been raised by someone who was already traumatized in the 1990s and 2000s by domestic relations courts across the land, and their odd concept of “justice” = “therapy” = “more business for our pet nonprofits, and pockets.” — and observed firsthand (after being screened for weapons on the way into the courthouse) how no one is responsible, but all get a piece of the action, in the courtroom, and in the child support offices tied to the workforce system.

And that’s why groups to stop violence, establish “Family Visitation Centers” and talk, talk, talk about Battered Women and Protecting Children, and Promising Practices are closely associated with workforce development centers, and sometimes these contracting organizations get multi-million$$ projects to study the people passing through their subsidiaries’ offices. (I’m thinking esp. of MPDI, which is parent company to DAIP, which is parent company to BWJP, Praxis, the Sacred Hoop, and a few more groups that conference, consult, and publish links to what they conferenced and consulted about — often on the federal dole, LOTS of it….).

OK, that rant being done, let’s move on:

The items I checked (XXX) above are, some of them, below.

I’ve pasted the email I sent to a few friends, expressing my feelings about finding “Chet Muklewicz, Ed.D.,” whose PA based nonprofit (I googled it. It’s a residential area outside Scranton) is operating through the Kentucky (not California) courts and leads to promotions of books by Philip Stahl, Ph.D. and you name it — mostly about not alienating one’s kids of course.

Kids First – Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Family Conflict

Kids First Parenting Plan · Divorce is Not the End of the World … Click Here to Order by Mail.KIDS FIRST. 1527 Adams Avenue Dunmore, PA …
www.kidsfirst.cc/ – Cached – Similar

►

Below (Below Philip Stahl’s presentation — who we saw last post was an expert consulted by the OHIO task force on families (basically, on fatherhood) in 2001, and how this same task force flew its behind to Arizona to attend some AFCC conference (he probably presented as well), Dr. Muck’z. is going to Coach “rookies” on Research. More likely, he is by virtue of example, showing the rookies how to hitch-hike to nation-wide, court-referred marketing clientele without leaving the home area (except to conference), by way of internet, yahoo shopping carts, on-line promotions, and on-line marketing, etc.

Here’s the LINK to same program operating out of the Lackawanna County Courthouse (note address at bottom) with a simple registration form specifying which course sent you to which class:

LACKAWANNA COUNTY KIDS FIRST CLASS REGISTRATION

Class Selection:

Class Location (Court Jurisdiction): _________________________________ Class Date:____________ Class Time:________

Note: If you have been Court ordered to attend a specific, you must sign up for that class.

Parenting After Divorce: A Guide to Resolving Conflicts and Meeting Your Children's Needs

Taking the Conflict Out of Child Custody

Divorce Casualties: Protecting Your Children from Parent Alienation

Note the testimonials (left column) on the Philip Stahl book. These are AFCC projects:

http://www.kidsfirst.cc/bk10.htm

KENTUCKY COURTS PROMOTE THIS (and also see “Turning It Around” class, Kentucky Courts site)

Kentucky: Court of Justice – Kids First

Mar 22, 2007 … Kids First: Children Coping with Divorce and Family Conflict … contact Kids First, 1527 Adams Avenue, Dunmore, PA 18509 or 570-341-2007 …
courts.ky.gov › Court Programs › Divorce Education – Cached

I will look up the link to a father, court-ordered, questioning whether there was potentially some double-billing going on here, and what he was doing to find out. It was in a Scranton-area newspaper…

OK, Children — on the last post, I put a lot of effort into links to professionals and groups, and labeling them with descriptive text (seen if you lightly click on the link or hover over it, I believe, without actually going there).

This time, you are on your observant own.

Showing sessions 1 – 10 of (10) TOTAL sessions

http://www.dcprovidersonline.com/afcc/?event_id=AFCC7

Session : AFCC8113
From Lecture to Life
Conference : 8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs
Speaker(s) :

Download Format(s) :
MP3

$15.00

Empowerment, self-awareness, resilience, optimism and hope are not words usually associatedwith Divorce Education. Kids’Turn nowteaches life skills that participants can take with theminto their reorganized families and lives. Kids’Turn, together with consultants 6 Seconds Emotional Intelligence International Trainers, have created a curriculum that focuses on families undergoing reorganization, for a better future. From didactic to interactive teaching, they have added humor based on current educational research on how participants learn and retain information.

Steve Kinney, M.A., President, Kids’ Turn, San Jose, CA

Elyse Jacobs, MFA, Program Director, Kids’ Turn, San Francisco, CA

PUSHING PARENT EDUCATION — BECAUSE IT PAYS — THE THERAPISTS & PROVIDERS…

Session : AFCC8112
Parent Education as Part of a Thriving Practice
Conference : 8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs
Speaker(s) :

Download Format(s) :
MP3

$15.00

Jurisdictions vary in their requirements for co-parenting education and in how they make classes available. Some districts fund their own services, but others rely on local professionals to develop effective programs. This workshop will illustrate how a creative individual trained first in psychotherapy can build a gratifying practice by adding divorce education as one specialty service. Even when a court selects or certifies multiple providers, a diligent professional can achieve a successful practice by offering parent education aswell as psychotherapy, evaluation,mediation and other services.

Shirley Thomas, Ph.D., Longmont, CO

Session : AFCC8117
Creatively Advancing Parent Education with Federal Access & Visitation Grant Funds: The Colorado Experience
Conference : 8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs
Speaker(s) :

Download Format(s) :
MP3

$15.00

Panelists will describe the U.S. Federal Access &Visitation (AV) Grant program, aswell as provide pertinent research on the effectiveness of Parent Education programs funded by the AV grant. This workshop will include representatives from Colorado who will discuss the use of AV grant funds in Colorado with a particular emphasis on introducing parent education into rural and/or underserved districts.Theworkshopwill focus on one rural community’s experience in implementing their parenting education program, including its formation; parent education volunteer training; and the development of parenting education curriculum developed with the AV grant funds.

Tracie L. Pogue, MDiv., MSW, Access & Visitation Grant Manager, HHS/ACF – Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, Washington, DC

Sharon Daly, J.D., Projects Manager, Office of Dispute Resolution, State Court Administrator’s Office, Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver, CO

Cindie Farmer, B.A., Family Court Facilitator-Domestic/Juvenile, 15th Judicial District, Prowers District Court, Lamar, CO

Robert M. Smith, J.D., Windsor, CO

Session : AFCC8118
Research for Rookies
Conference : 8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs
Speaker(s) :

Download Format(s) :
MP3

$15.00

Thisworkshop is for thosewho have been a little too busy, ambivalent, or avoidant to conduct research on their program. It will be a report on one divorce educator’s journey into theworld of empirical evidence. Participants can expect a wealth of information on past research models, outcomes measures, instrumentation, statistical designs, funding resources, discovering local academic resources and much more.

Chet Muklewicz, Ed.D., Kids First, Dunmore, PA

http://courts.ky.gov/stateprograms/divorceeducation/KidsFirst.htm

THIS was the guy whose nonpro[fit front group (from Dunmore, PA) IS TAKING COURT-REFERRAL PARENTING EDUCATION FROM KENTUCKY COURTS!. HE LIVES IN PENNSYLVANIA! HE’S ALSO PUSHING PHILIP STAHL, ETC.

Here it is!:

Kids First: Children Coping with Divorce and Family Conflict

Kids First program is designed for parents to help their children cope with separation, divorce, and family conflict.

Parents are presented with information about how parental relationships have a direct effect on the children and how children might respond at different ages. Parents learn that parental conflict hurts children and, more importantly, learn what they can do to help their children to adjust to the changes in their family.

For additional information, contact Kids First, 1527 Adams Avenue, Dunmore, PA 18509 or 570-341-2007

That’s “muck-raker-lewicz,” above.

SAME COURT SYSTEM THAT EXTORTS DADS INTO FR CLASSES:

http://courts.ky.gov/stateprograms/divorceeducation/tia.htm

THESE GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF MISFIT MARKETING SELF-PROMOTERS WHO HAVE ABUSD THE LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL SYSTEMS TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES AND THEIR OWN FUTURE RETIREMENT FUNDS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST OF US!

AMONG THE BOOKS CHUCKIE WAS PRESENTING IS STAHL’s — also presenting here:

He’s one of the most prolific PAS promoters in the business; puts Gardner to shame…..

Session : AFCC8116
Cooperative Co-parenting vs. Parallel Parenting
Conference : 8th International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs
Speaker(s) :

Download Format(s) :
MP3

$15.00

While cooperative co-parenting is often held up as the ideal, itmay not be effective for parents in high conflict, those with personality disorders or when domestic violence has occurred. Parallel parenting is often effective for thosewhowant do the best job of parenting their childrenwhileminimizing communication and conflict. This workshop will examine the key distinctions between co-parenting and parallel parenting andwill help participants understand how to help parents understand their conflict and utilize the post-divorce parenting strategiesmost suited to their family.

Philip M. Stahl, Ph.D., Author, Parenting After Divorce, Queen Creek, AZ

“CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE”:

I am beginning to think that Wisconsin (Northern US border) and Texas (Southern US border) are sister-states, based on some of their family-issues connection plus the jet-setting, access-visitation-sponsored conference connections. . . . . This is one.

[@ “Children in the Middle” is one of the approved, mandatory, Milwaukee County parenting programs found at Ms. Diel’s “Parent Education” site. Justifying my concept of “who would take these classes (if not forced to by law in the process of getting divorced”) I found that searching WSPP and this title, only 2 occurrences showed up. One of them was a Jewish Family Services, and apparently a variant, “Kids in the Middle [r]” in this paragraph:

What kinds of counseling services are offered by Jewish Family Services?

Jewish Family Services (JFS) offers a wide range of counseling and therapy options, from individual and group therapy, marriage and family therapy, grief counseling and assistance toindividuals who are struggling with mental and physical illness or disability. JFS offers programs in anger management, Co-Parenting Children of Divorce, Kids in the Middle® program, Collaborative Divorce Mediation and Parent Communication Coaching. For older adults, JFS offers Late Life Counseling.

….Obviously divorce appears to (as far as professionals are concerned) put one in the category of an individuals struggling with mental and physical illness or disability. Whether this is a casual or causal relationship, may be a moot point. You wanna divorce in Wisconsin? You must do it the right way — and there is a toll booth. Only approved classes. …..

ANYHOW — “Children in the Middle” is mos definitely a going concern –and a business concept that seems to originate with another (AFCC, etc., yada yada yada) professional out of — get this — Tarrant County, Texas. Which I was looking at recently, in light of how ‘Fatherhood, fatherhood, fatherhood” (and AFCC_connected) it’s Access Visitation Funding was. Having a Texas Supreme Court Judge who is an AFCC member probably helps keep it going, not to mention Texas OAG personnel such as Michael Hayes and his evolutionary concept of how to expand the access visitation funding and make child support enforcement include “emotional support” funding……, etc.)

BRADLEY CRAIG, received his Master’s Degree in Social Work at UTA and is a Licensed Social Worker and Certified Family Life Educator. He is a noted co-parent educator in the North Texas area, and has developed a number of parent education programs for families raising children in two homes. He began specializing in working with families raising children between two homes in 1992 when he was hired by Tarrant County to conduct social study investigations and provide mediation sessions. He helped them design an orientation for litigating families offered by the county.

{{WELFARE REFORM< ADDING “ACCESS VISITATION” LEGISLATION & APPROPRIATIONS — $10/mil/year nationwide– 1996 – purpose, to ‘facilitate” some of the services, such as parenting education…. to increase [primarily male] noncustodial parenting time…}}

In 1998, he developed the Children in the Middle Co-parenting Education class. Brad left the County in 1999 to open up a program called Children in the Middle Co-parenting Services, Inc., a comprehensive agency designed to help adults raise children between two homes.In addition, he began offering consultation sessions where he would meet with couples and their significant others to develop a shared parenting plan. Children in the Middle Co-parenting Services, Inc. was closed in December of 2003 when Brad was hired to develop and maintain a co-parenting program with a social service organization. He is currently in private practice and contracts with organizations to provide services to families. {{translation — probably gets court- and child support, and what not referrals….}}

As a social worker and family life educator, Brad is a trained family law mediator and provides family law mediation training currently with other organizations. In addition, he offers training for other professionals to structure approaches to help these children being raised between two homes. He works with divorcing families and those with continuing custody/parenting time issue as a Family Mediator, Collaborative Law Allied Professional, Co-parenting Case Manager, Co-parenting Coach, Educator, Parenting Facilitator, and Parenting Coordinator. {{SOMEONE has to keep all those functions straight; who better than a parenting “coordinator”?}}

Brad has written curriculum for co-parent education programs and has developed educational videos. He has been a guest speaker on many television and radio programs and is often asked to speak at local, state and national conferences on co-parenting issues. He hosted an ongoing cable television series “The Children in the Middle Show,” aimed at educating viewers about both the effects of parental conflict after a separation on children and the services available to help families through co-parenting issues.

Brad continues his education through the following organizations, alphabetical and probably in order of influence, too.

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)

Texas AFCC
National Association of Social Workers
National Council on Family Relations
International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Collaborative Lawyers of Arlington and Mansfield
Phi Kappa Phi
Tarrant and Dallas County Family Law Bar Associations

Children in the middle co-parenting class (notice titles to the parts, from Part 1, for adults, “Topics covered include:

• You
• The Victim Mindset
• Domestic Violence”

(Subliminal, much? You, Victim Mindset — you weren’t thinking of reporting domestic violence, were you???)

…..to the part, addressed to the adults, about the children…..

• Co-parenting Vocabulary
• Benefits of Co-parenting
• Alienating Behaviors [such as reporting child abuse, etc….]

See, “AFCC” truly IS, literally a professional development association, as in, they DEVELOP Professions and then refer each other to these developed professions. As this gentleman’s case illustrates, it helps greatly to have social service connections (and funding). AND, through the miracle of the World Wide Web, one’s classes can be marketed on the opposite end of the country (Wisconsin, obviously, in this case), or globally, like Kids’ Turn. The business model does not, I repeat, does NOT entail the practitioners putting their own money into, unless after otherwise allocating their government, nonprofit and federal program fund administrator paychecks, they might want to share a bit with a local nonprofit, and get their name on there as donors…..

LINKS page to “Community Resources” (are you in the IN crowd as a practioner, or not? such as….)

Legal Services

Dallas Bar Association- Attorney and Mediator Referrals, 214-220-7400,LEGALINE – Dallas Bar Association, 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of each month 5-9 p m, 214 969-7066
Legal Services of North Texas– Legal services for low-income families in Dallas county, 214 7481234
Tarrant Bar Association- Attorney and Mediator Referrals, 817-338-4092,
West Texas Legal Services, Legal services for low -income families in Tarrant county, 817-336-9343

> > > > > > TEXAS based….
Texas Father’s for Equal Rights– Tarrant County assistance for members in resolution of their pre and post divorce problems.

> > > > > Same Idea, on NATIONAL . . . .
Father’s for Equal Rights– Dallas County assistance providing very specific hands-on services to fathers, grandparents, and others who have a current or future case in the Dallas or surrounding areas, or who have children in this geographic area. < < < < < < < <
Texas Law Help– 1-800-252-9690
Texas Legal Services Center

Are there ANY more questions, class, that AFCC is in the business of marketing (see books, above) and that what it is in the business of marketing includes parental alienation (and they don’t care whether it’s junk science or not, nor should you — you should care more about the marketing behaviors, which make whether it’s good policy or not a moot point. You are not dealing with people who give a crap! There is an agenda, GET IT?

THere should also be zero question that the public is picking up some – if not most — of the tab for this, in the forms of paying the IRS, which then pays Access Visitation grants funding, the courts themselves, the child support incentives to the states to connect Dads with their kids and (allegedly!) reduce TANF loads (IS it?).

(for more on that, look up ‘COMPROMISE OF ARREARS __ FAMILY REUNIFICATION” (or wait til I post on that).

By the time I finish publicizing all this, people may be less included to put their name all over the place as nonprofit donors. …. Of course, I”m no Erin Brockovich (yet)….

…

Written by Let's Get Honest|She Looks It Up

May 23, 2011 at 3:49 pm

I turn, You turn, We all (must) turn to “Kids’ Turn” (and spinoffs)…per AFCC.. [Orig. Publ. May 23, 2011, #2 of 2, same-day].

How many mental health professionals is it possible to squeeze into one court case? And how is it done?

Ideally, as many as possible — one after another, after another. There is sure to be a need for them, given that the entire concept of mental health in the family law system is an oxymoron (see the word “law”).

Of course the family law system got its jumpstart with mental health professionals in alliance with legal professionals, somewhere shortly after women go the vote (but before all states had ratified it). The longer the system exists (generation after generation) the more mental health problems there are guaranteed to occur, given the source of them is the practitioner’s cognitive dissonance with state law (for example, against child abuse, child stealing, or valiant statements that there is a rebuttable presumption against custody going to batterers. Or, for that matter, child abusers. It’s a few steps away from fingerpainting — with the paint jars being the jargon used by various fields, which end up generally speaking in one big sticky mess.

Of course, you’re not supposed to see them at play behind closed doors, but since the advent of the Internet (which helps the conferences occur, obviously — and the curricula get disseminated — I’ll show how in a bit here) it’s also fun to track ’em down and catch’em in the act. Like my last post did with AB 2263, an attempt to legislate Kids’ Turn (ONLY) for a Judicial Council sponsored (public payments, I’m sure) analysis of how effective ~~Kids’ Turn~~ — excuse me, “programs that provide services to children undergoing divorce” (or whatever they called it to cover up that the original meaning intended was simply a nonprofit group brainstormed by — you guessed it — family law judges, etc.– this one in particular).

Well Gray Davis vetoed even the sanitized version of let’s build a LEGISLATIVE pipeline from this group to the entire divorcing population (Parental) of California — and the world, but we can start it here — and stick someone else, like taxpayers — with the bill. That was back in 2002.

Did that stop the idea? Heck no! I found the 48th Annual AFCC conference (Kids’ Turn is self-identified as an AFCC member. I guess a nonprofit can be a member of an association of court professionals (judges, commissioners and so forth) with mental health professionals with attorneys, etc.)

So, how IS it done? (other than out of the ready earshot of a court litigant, namely, parent in a custody battle).

(1)

FIRST OF ALL: FORM RAPID DEPLOYMENT UNITS — OF ONE JD, ONE Ph.D. (mental health, what else?) and one MSW or LCSW, or LMFT. Each has a specific purpose. Right now, we find this combo in pre-game a coaching session complete with powerpoint slides and diagrams:

….Understanding the Roles of Mental Health Professionals in Collaborative Practice

Conference : 48th Annual Conference

A major strength of collaborative practice is the work done by the family with mental health professionals. Collaborative professionals frequently work in interdisciplinary teams to facilitate peaceful resolution. The collaborative process may include one “neutral” mental health professional, or two “aligned” mental health professionals. Both of these approaches may include a child specialist to help understand and facilitate focusing on the needs of the children. In some areas, mental health professionals work as neutral facilitators and as case managers. The program will provide an overview of each role and the strengths and advantages of each.

Diane S. Diel, J.D., ** President, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Milwaukee, WI Barbara E. Kelly, Ph.D., Maitland, FL Mary M. Stengel, M.S.W., LCSW, Towson, MD [PARTNER in COLLABORATION LLC: Alice Dansker Doyle]

[**notice (Mandatory) Parent Education link on Ms. Diel’s site. This is a critical component. Unless such classes were indeed MANDATORY (even if parents have no custody dispute!) who would attend?][More on this below, @ “Children in the Middle”]

Ms. Doyle strikes me as quite smart (Purdue) but I note the primary emphasis is Counseling Psychology and an M.Ed.D.; even her JD has this emphasis. She is definitely on a mission, and is herself married, looks like a good match, MORE THAN well-employed, and no kids are mentioned.

Who better to coach others on divorce and co-parenting (and flying around, like to Florida, to do so is just part of the trials and tribulations of the work….) ? (or is this a 2nd marriage and her theory is born from experience?)

Ms. Doyle is dedicated to the concept of assisting families to civilly resolve issues involved in custody, divorce and related disputes and training dedicated professionals to join the Collaborative community. Toward that result, she and Mary McNeish Stengel, LCSW, established Collaborative Training Solutions, Inc., (CTS) a company completely separate from her law and mediation practice ….

Ms. Doyle sees spreading the Collaborative word as a mission. There are many professionals and communities that have not been educated in the Collaborative model of dispute resolution. Some don’t have training available within a reasonable distance because of population and geographical challenges. In addition to reaching larger populations, Ms. Doyle enjoys traveling to communities to provide trainings where local professionals are excited and want to be trained, yet may otherwise have to travel great distances for training because their community is too small to attract a large trainee group”

Session Handouts for AFCC’s 48th Conference

….NOTE — this is an UPCOMING Conference (June, 2011) called ‘What’s Gender Got To Do With It?” See my posts of January, 2011 — when I talk about are you speaking mother, father, or mediator? Pick a conference — there’s something for everyone (but the house wins when the coins are finally tossed.. that’s “mediator” rhetoric)…

The powerpoint slides (available on-line at above link) show few photos, but there’s one — of a father with a kid on his shoulders — next to “Maintain Focus on What is In the Best Interests of the Child,” which is under “Elements of Coaching” slide. But let’s go to the diagram, the playbook:

The slide “WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?” shows two clients in the center, surrounded by larger circles, each one inhabited by a professor. This reminds me of a child’s game, such as “Ring Around the Rosy” or “Duck-Duck-Goose”. Either way the clients (litigants, most likely, parents….) are indeed surrounded by spheres of influence with lines between them; it does remind me of a corral:

“The Suggested Playahs”:

Two per client: Coach & Lawyer

At top and bottom: “Child Specialist“** (at the top — this category reigns supreme, obviously) and bottom, “Financial Specialist” which of course has to undergird the program, or who would fund he other specialists? How can you have a family law case without ferreting who’s got the assets that are going to be soaked in this process? So, FInancial Specialists are very, very important, especially for moneyed divorcing (or separating) parents.

Alternately, if one parent is Title IV-D (welfare), then the “Financial Specialists” are the program managers, and child support administrators, etc. After all, with $4 billion enforcement fees (per year, nationally speaking) surely some of these employees can figure out who’s got the money in each case. It’s in the public’s best interest for the courts to know….

**Child Specialist: (slide) is a NEUTRAL third party who focuses exclusively on the children’s concerns and/or their interests, advocates for the children and consults to the parents and their team. (Why GALs wont work is ….)

MOST professionals like to get paid for their work. Given that this includes child specialists, I say that it’s a rare person holding demi-god (i.e., neutral and not in the least subject to temptation to skew the scale) status. (“Mea culpa, mea culpa” for bringing this up)

When any judge takes payments from any County (in addition to state salary, whether this is in the form of benefits, or anything else) that’s a conflict of interest — the County has a vested interest in certain types of cases, and LOTS of these cases involve children, and child support, sometimes foster care and adoptions as well.

One attorney (non-aligned) noticed this and wrote about it in January, 2009. (I don’t think he was an AFCC member….):

LA County Payments to LA Superior Court Judges Cost Taxpayers Almost 1 Billion Dollars and Denied Constitutional Rights to the People of LA CountyJanuary 07, 2009

By Richard I. Fine (View author info)

Los Angeles, California –
The commencement of the of unconstitutional payments by LA County to LA Superior Court judges was “unnoticeable” to the people of LA County in the late 1980s. Yet, its effect began to permeate the Los Angeles political and judicial systems to the extent that fundamental constitutional rights were compromised.Twenty years after the commencement of the payments, the political and judicial systems of LA County are rife with conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure and the failure to enforce constitutional rights and laws.A well traveled “money trail” exists from LA County who makes payments to LA Superior Court judges [present and past] who decide cases in favor of LA County.

Seems to me it took only a few months for a Superior Court Judge to throw in in Jail and the California Bar to disbar him. After all, his emphasis was constitutional issues (California State), and individual legal rights to fair and unbiased judicial hearings — not exactly your basic mental health, custody-coaching, professional-referral-basis expanding scheme.

So, he got tossed (well, led from the courtroom in handcuffs, and it seems the arrest record also fudged somewhat) into solitary coervcie confinement, as we now know, in an attempt to break his spirit (Note: it failed. 18 months later, he was finally released, and is still at it). This is an interim report from some groups / individuals that took up this banner — about no danged conflicts of interests in our courts, dammit! You will note, Mr. Fine’s comments were from his jail cell (and he has also been disbarred).

Los Angeles, CA Full Disclosure Network® presents a 3 min video report on the November 23, 2009 remarks made by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Lincoln Club in North Hollywood. The Supervisor provided an update regarding the controversy over long-time practice of the County making payments to Los Angeles Superior Court Judges. Civic leader David R. Hernandez provides his account of the presentation in the video.

A Fourth District CA Court of Appeals decision in November of 2008 ruled the county’s payments were illegal in theSturgeon v. County of Los Angeles lawsuit that revealed Judges, who are all elected officials, were not disclosing the extra payments they received from the County to litigants in the courtroom in cases involving the county nor on the Form 700 Economic Interest statements as required by the California Fair Political Practices Act.

Antonovich responded to a question about the continuing public concern that county payments created a “conflict” for judges and if this conflict was going to be resolved?
Here are some of the points made by Supervisor Antonovich:

Recent [FEB 11, 2009] legislation, Senate Bill SBX2 11 has now made the payments legal.

All new judges (appointed or elected) will not be receiving payments from the county.

Most other California counties have been paying (illegal) benefits to the judges

This was not just a Los Angeles County practice

L A Judges have not always ruled in favor of the County (payments started in 1988)

Several court rulings have been in against the County and in favor of illegal aliens

Featured in the video: are two prominent critics of the illegal payments made to Judges by the County and below are comments from Richard I Fine from his L.A. County Jail cell.

Richard Fine Fires back, in an L.A. Op Ed, as to Ron George. I’m enclosing here, for contrast with the profession-mongering family law field, via AFCC, to see a contrasting view of “in the best interests” of — one based on stop wasting our tax dollars, and concealing how this is done, not to mention, undermining the US Bill of Rights, labeled:

“The Deception of California Supreme Court Justice Ron George”

REBUTTAL TO L A TIMES OP-ED

By Richard I. Fine

In his September 14, 2009 Los Angeles Times Op-Ed article California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George stated that the Judicial Council of California decided to close the California Courts one day a month until June 2010. He acknowledged the hardship on Californian’s and praised the Superior Court Judges who volunteered to take a one day pay cut.

FAILED TO DISCLOSE AUTHORSHIP

However, he did not disclose that the same Judicial Council of California of which he admitted he is the Chairman, also wrote Senate Bill SBX2 11. This bill was introduced by Senate President Pro-Tem Daryl Steinberg on February 11, 2009 passed by the State Senate on February on 14th , 2009 and passed by the State Assembly on February 15, 2009 signed by the Governor on February 20, 2009 and became effective on May 21, 2009.EXTRA JUDICIAL BENEFITS & CRIMINAL IMMUNITY
Such bill reinstated “supplemental county benefits” to Superior Court Judges in addition to their State Salary and compensation. Such supplemental County benefits have been held to be “unconstitutional” in the case ofSturgeon vs County of Los Angeles 167 Cal Ap 4th 630 (2008) review denied 12/23/08. Such bill also gave retroactive immunity to the Judges and others from criminal prosecution, civil liability and disciplinary action.$30 MILLION MORE DURING FISCAL CRISIS?
By omitting to disclose Senate Bill SBX2 11 and it’s retroactive immunity,Chief Justice George did not inform the people that the loss to the taxpayers in L.A.County alone of these supplement payments to the Superior Court Judges in fiscal year 2009-2010 is estimated at $30 million dollars this loss is greater than the contributions of all of the Judges of one day’s pay per month over a year. In effect, under Senate Bill SBX2 11 the judges are making more money during this financial crisis while the citizens of California suffer.DUE PROCESS DENIED
Worse yet, because of the retroactive immunity the decisions of the judges receiving county payments before 05-21-09 violated the due process clauses of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution and the California Constitution.

(end of commercial break from AFCC/Family Court Fantasia. back to our regularly scheduled post subject matter, here….)

OK Gray Davis in 2002 scotched (Vetoed) the concept of legislating Kids’ Turn, the whole Kids’ Turn and basically nothing BUT Kids’ Turn** (or — OK, maybe a look-alike or spinoff, such as Kids First, or Kids in the Middle, or Children in the Middle, or . .. or . . . . . anything that would require lots of people, some of who would recommend that parents be ordered to consume social-service product of, for example, a single AFCC acolyte (or, fully fledged priest) from Tarrant County, Texas . . . . . ).

Since the Governor (not the terminator) said NO! although the legislature (with its sanitized version) clearly said “YES” and wanted him to sign it . . . . did these zealots take “No!” for a final answer? Heck, No — they are salespeople first of foremost, and educators at heart.

[[**more commonly known as:

“The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth! So Help Me God!“and you gotta visit the website, there…. unlike these AFCC people, the author has a sense of humor in presenting reality…..]]

All true educators need to get continual access to people who need training after all, ambulance chasers chase ambulances, right? But what’s a psychologist and M.Ed.D. to do without some governmental subsidies? (“incentives”) — compete in the free market base don the quality of the product? NO! — back to the gameboard.

All that was just (long) introduction and setting the stage. This is the juicy center of the dialogue, and why I started this post — after the last two Kids’ Turn Posts. They’re just UNbelievable…. Anyone wnat to go to Florida and take notes at this upcoming conference? Lookee here:

Here’s some “Kids in the Middle” presenters. I’ll be back tomorrow — not done yet here…

Session : AFCC1111
5. Working with High Conflict Parents: How Conflict, Personality Disorders and Gender Influence Outcomes for Children
Conference : 48th Annual Conference
Speaker(s) :

High conflict parents are the most difficult to work with in divorce proceedings. They utilize an inordinate amount of time and patience for professionals working with them. In addition, enduring conflict between parents, both pre- and post-divorce, has the greatest negative impact on children of divorce. Attorneys, mediators and guardians are in a position to recognize and minimize parental conflict when they possess knowledge about how gender and personality disorders play a role. This workshop focuses on recognizing the key elements at play and providing strategies for ensuring positive outcomes for the entire family system.

Judy Berkowitz, M.Ed., Executive Director, Kids In The Middle, St. Louis, MO Carol Love, M.A., SMFT, Kids In The Middle, St. Louis, MO

CLICK THE pdf ICON FOR SESSION HANDOUTS DOWNLOAD

Kids in the Middle profits from the Court-referrals and Schools-referral clientele, and says so on its 2009 Annual Report:

Workshops at the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, Family Court ␣ 330 parents attended mandated parent education workshops.

Yes it is a Nonprofit, and in 2009, despite over $2,000 in interest income (how many people would this house for a month?), and over $1 mil in income, it operated $55K in the hole, which seems to be a standard in some of these groups. Probably because there are simply so many young and old, and middle-aged people that need this help, a little overeager promotional spending?

Ms. Berkowitz’s KIDS IN THE MIDDLE.org site has a book list. I always find these informative, for example, a few choice ones:

The Boys’ and Girls’ Book About Divorce, by Richard Gardner

THE MAN’s DEAD (a vicious death involving knives. Some say suicide, some disagree….), BUT HIS SELF-PUBLISHED IDEAS LIVE ON AMONG CONVERTS…..

Good Parenting Through Your Divorce, by Mary Ellen Hannibal and Judge Ina Gyemant

JUDGE INA GYEMANT STARTED KIDS’ TURN in SF in 1987. THE LEAST SOMEONE IN A SPINOFF CONCEPT (which “kids in the middle(r)” obviously is…) COULD DO IS HELP PROMOTE THIS JUDGE’S LITERATURE, RIGHT? Will Judge Ina return the favors, in her professional or avocational capacities?

Parenting After Divorce: A Guide to Resolving Conflicts and Meeting your Childrens’ Needs, by Philip Michael Stahl

PHILIP STAHL ~ highly under-reported by women’s groups protesting PAS theory — they simply don’t pay attention to the distribution systems like I started to ~ ~ CARRIES THE GARDNER TORCH, AND HE’S GOOD AT IT. HE’S PART OF THE JUICY CENTER OF MY POST HERE TODAY — ABOUT HOW HIS BOOKS (AND OTHERS) ARE PROMOTED.. THROUGH COURT-MANDATED PARENTING PROGRAMS DIRECTING EVERYONE TO CONSUME JUDGE-ORIGINATED LITERATURE PUSHED THROUGH JUDGE-ORIGINATED (OR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL-ORIGINATED) NON-PROFIT, AND SOMEONE HAS TO SAY THIS — FRONT GROUPS. OR STRAIGHT OUT FOR-PROFIT COLLABORATIONS AMONG THE VARIOUS PROFESSIONALS ALL OBSESSED WITH “helping” OPK (other people’s kids) with the problems THEY perceive, from THEIR perspective (only) and with OUR (public) money, like as not…

While the parents they are coaching, already under huge financial stress often enough, are (if taxpayers and wage-earners) picking up, collectively, the slack which nonprofits — because of their wonderful public benefits to all of us, and the universe — get out of paying, i.e., funds for themselves and services like libraries, police, schools, public transportation infrastructure, and far less urgent public priorities than indoctrinating kids and parents in the right way to think about their own children, and their own situations, and of course how not to use criminal terminology in one’s thought processes, even if convictions show that it’s occurred. After all, let’s just “focus on the family” and forget about those other unpleasant matters — eech!

Let’s take a look at a slide, so we know what to expect from this “What’s GENDER Got to Do With It?” AFCC upcoming conference among mental health professionals, attorneys and judges in the family law system:

Workshop Objectives

 Know how to recognize a client who may have a personality disorder.

 Understand how the traits of a client with a personality disorder can lead to chronic conflict and therefore poor outcomes for their children.

 Understand how gender issues can combine with some personality disorders, resulting in extreme dysfunction and poor outcomes for children.

 Understand why personality disorder traits make it difficult for parents to meet their children’s needs.

 Understand the increased risk for alienation when a parent has a personality disorder.

 Learn strategies to manage and support the client with a personality disorder.

I don’t suppose any “personality disorders” might result from abuse, virtual POW situations in the home, or years of trying to avoid provoking a violent incident — or seeking outside protection (and not getting it) from someone molesting one’s own kids on unsupervised weekend visitations…. Or having suddenly lost one’s kids’ after trying to do something about that and having been unprepared for the impact of federal incentives to switch custody and eliminate child support arrears through access visitation funding….

But, as it’s said, Cobblers see shoes, and Mental Health professionals see Personality Disorders and not what might have CAUSED them…. To People selling hammers, the problem is a nail… To people obsessed with unmonitored contact with distressed minor children — and these often show up in M.Ed.D. forms, i.e., as educators — the problem with divorce is the parents…. both of them — and the solution is to separate the kids and coach them on how to think about their parents and themselves….This also pertains if the source of conflict may entail, say, poverty — it’s still more critical that the problemsolving money goes to nonprofits coaching Kids and Parents…..

Here’s another slide. Given the scope of the problem (neurotic divorcing parents), Kids in the Middle, Inc. and it’s 23 paid staff (some of who are, obviously getting some frequent flyer miles in, too) stand ready to stand in the gap against the bad parents, and provide services to fix their viewpoints:

About Kids In The Middle ®

Our Services: Consultation Assessments Group Therapy for Children Individual Therapy for Children Family Therapies Treatment Reviews Individual Therapy for Parents Co-Parenting Counseling Parent Groups

Diagnostic Supervised Visitation Mandated Co-Parenting Education Classes

(at least 3 of these categories come under the federal access visitation (incentive) grants to increase noncustodial parenting time. We know in practice, this rarely occurs with a mother, even though more and more mothers are being completely eliminated from contact with their children through these and similar programs. Moreover, to keep the professional straights, AFCC around the country & state chapters are also heavily promoting (supposedly to meet the grassroots demand from the general public) “Parent Coordination” as a new field. Wait til you see my post on THAT one….)

Here’s another. Notice that being “wounded” disqualifies one’s ability to co-parent (which might result in recommendation of sole custody to the other parent, logically speaking….). There is no mention of who is inflicting which wounds. THe total oblivion to the blood on the streets of women and children (and sometimes men, by suicide after killing the women, or just the children) around divorce. Those aren’t their concern, I guess. After all, dead people don’t consume mental health services….at least court-mandated; I imagine it could seriously screw up surviving relatives and witnesses….

Assessing Parental Ability to Co-Parent

What we look for:

 Level of cooperation as parents in the marriage  Is conflict pervasive or focused on a few issues? Level of trust  Level of “woundedness” of one or both parents Level of acceptance of the separation

Ability or inability to let go of issues from the marriage Level of animosity Ability to recognize and express the other parent’s

strengths Mental Health Issues

DastardlyDads.blogspot.com reports some of these (I’m glad someone else does, I couldn’t do this consistently — too close to home!) Here’s one from May, 2011 — this month.

Dad charged with 1st-degree murder; 17-year-old daughter found in dumpster (Washington, DC)

After much public display of grief and gnashing of teeth, dad RODNEY JAMES MCINTYRE has been arrested in the stabbing murder of his 17-year-old daughter. Her body was found in a dumpster. Seems that Daddy was sexually abusing her. Not one word here about this girl’s mother….INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT. http://dcist.com/2011/05/father_of_ebony_franklin_charged_wi.phpFather of Ebony Franklin Charged with First Degree MurderNearly 6 months ago, MPD made the gruesome discovery of the body of 17-year-old Ebony Franklin in a dumpster in the ally of the 1000 block of Fairmont Street NW. Now, they have arrested Rodney James McIntyre, Ebony Franklin’s father, for her murder. Ebony was stabbed 17 times.Sources say McIntyre was linked both by DNA and cell phone records to Franklin’s death.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier indicated in her press conference announcing McIntyre’s arrest that there was also evidence of a sexual relationship between Ebony Franklin and her father.

McIntyre had been quoted in the press saying that “The way my baby was found in the trash, it’s unacceptable. What I want to know as her father, what really took place with my child?”

Now why must parents who may have gone through some serious, criminal hell spots be exposed, unilaterally, to consume classes by professionals who blame both parents for failure to get along with each other in situations where there is a clear perpetrator? . . . . . . . . I’ll let you figure out your own answer, I have also…. The entire forced shared-parenting/ joint-parenting field ignores situations like this, and that if separation HAD been allowed by the family law system, how many children would be alive now, that aren’t? And their mothers? and their fathers? What kind of sick obsession is it to change the language of criminal law into the language of, “my mental illness — and she alienated my children — made me do it”? This IS the language of AFCC; their main site acknowledges this, and it has now become the norm….

The real motivation is greed and fear of no professional niche for people raised on education theories and psychology. .. back to this particular group:

I’m so re-assured that these mandated classes will keep us on the right track. However, if they don’t, these same ladies are also training Advanced GAL classes (from a 2010 Missouri Bar agenda):

Child-Focused Divorce Therapy & How Attorneys Can Keep Kids Out of the Middle of Divorce Disputes

Speakers: Judy Berkowitz and Carol Love, Kids In The Middle, Inc., Kirkwood [MO]*

[GEE: I wonder if the punch-line is to recommend classes/services from groups like, say, “Kids in the Middle”…]

(*Kirkwood is an affluent suburb of St. Louis)

NOW LET’S SEE ANOTHER SET OF AFCC WORKSHOPS/ MP3s on HOW TO THINK RIGHT (a.k.a., marketing seminars for court professionals)….

A little more “Parenting Coordination” promo, a little more “Alienation Theory” promo never hurts:

ession : AFCC1101
2. Advanced Challenges in Parenting Coordination
Conference : Pre-Conference Sessions from the 48th Annual Conference
Speaker(s) :

Successful parenting coordination is dependent on a research-based understanding about what works and what doesn’t. This institute will help participants optimize outcomes with difficult parenting coordination cases by constructing a framework for success. Presenters will address parenting coordination from the mental health {{1st things first — Mental Health First, Legal — 2nd}} and legal {{legal rights? legal ethics? or how to expand the legal profession(and further undermine civil rights) by engaging mental health professionals?}} perspectives offering a multidimensional understanding of the process. Participants will be better prepared to address complex parent coordination cases. {{PARENTING COORDINATION EXISTS to handle the Complexity Groups like AFCC have already introduced. Apparently, this has gotten out of hand, and not parenting coordination itself has (already) gotten “complex” and needs coaches to tell coordinators how to keep it together…}}

Debra K. Carter, Ph.D., National Cooperative Parenting Center, Bradenton, FL Hon. Hugh Starnes (ret.), Ft. Myers, FL Denise L. Baier, M.A., Ft. Myers, FL B. Kerry Brown, M.S.W., Temple Terrace, FL

Session : AFCC1102
3. Differential Responses to Alienation: Risk Factors, Indicators and AssessmentConference : Pre-Conference Sessions from the 48th Annual Conference
Speaker(s) :

Alienation has serious consequences for children and families. Based on a differential response model, the presenters advocate for early identification of parent-child contact problems and risk factors for the occurrence of alienation, and the implementation of appropriate, targeted responses. ** This institute (“INSTITUTE”???) provides a framework (indoctrination model) for assessing and intervening with families to resolve parent child contact problems before behaviors become entrenched; and help judges, lawyers and mental health workers to effectively respond to cases of alienation.** The analytical framework presented is based on a review of literature and case law, interviews with practitioners and scholars, and clinical experiences.

Nicholas Bala, LL.B., LL.M., Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada Barbara Jo Fidler, Ph.D., Toronto, ON, Canada Michael Saini, Ph.D., M.S.W., University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

***”Alienation” is like the headless horseman. It’s been proved scientifically unsound and rejected by the American Prosecutors (etc., etc.) — but it rides on, in places like this.

A group taking Violence Against Women funds is now in bed with the “let’s not talk about it!” AFCC, lending a false legitimacy to the discussion. I have tracked funding from this one (BWJP) and am presently p*ssed off at the alliance — although hardly surprised by it. FOr the record, attempts were made to contact Ms. Frederick about AFCC regarding mis-use of the federal program funds to pay off custody switching to batterers/molesters (as I recall Liz Richards relating this — I was the person who alerted her to BWJP hooking up with AFCC). For a number of years, HHS grants of $1.78 Million went to this organization. The mutual blindness is probably not accidental — it’s a symbiotic relationship to keep the grants coming and support the published professionals — while parents, I must say, perish, or just about….

Session : AFCC1122
16. Examining the Family Court Response to Cases Involving Domestic Violence: Findings of the Henry County Ohio Safety Audit
Conference : 48th Annual Conference
Speaker(s) :

This workshop describes the methodology and outcomes of a recent study of the legal and social service systems used to resolve child custody matters involving allegations of domestic violence. The Safety Audit, an institutional ethnography process, generated practical recommendations for strengthening the responses of various family court practitioners to custody cases involving domestic violence. Local and national audit team members will share the findings and recommendations of this audit and discuss the challenges of the process.

Loretta Frederick, J.D., Battered Women’s Justice Project, Winona, MN Hon. Denise McColley, Henry County Family Court, Napoleon, OH Richard L. Altman, J.D., Magistrate, Napoleon, OH PamWeaner, J.D., Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Defiance, OH

CLICK THE pdf ICON FOR SESSION HANDOUTS DOWNLOAD

These people truly do not know what time of day it is. What they do know, however, is where their next plane ticket is coming from. The difference in perspective comes from a consciousness and quasi-religious (in some cases, less than quasi-) belief that the world is fair, and that certain types of professionals are essential to keep it balanced — if only those danged parents would be more docile when ordered to sit still and be taught at!

Here, Ms. Frederick is on a Domestic Violence Task Force (“Wingspread Conference”) with a bunch of AFCC-ers, giving their concerns about the matter a veneer of respectability.

http://www.afccnet.org/pdfs/AFCC%20Five-Year%20Report%20Web.pdf

(hover/click to see summary text on link. Looks like AFCC, bored with the US, is providing social science libraries to developing nations, to make sure they develop right — Philistines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Mongolia. I don’t suppose any of these materials might take into account cultural differences or, for example, address family problems caused by — shari’a law, and honor killings? ??? Are we still into co-parenting issues there, too? Or is it just the ol’ bread and butter parental alienation, plus bring on the court-referred mental health professionals? Do we think that these countries are going to need fatherhood commissions to balance out the destructive feminists in developing nations who — for example — attempt to marry out of their faith, or are guilty of having been gang-raped without 4 male witnesses to testify it wasn’t consensual adultery — punishable by death, to the woman at least..?)

I really have to question AFCC’s motives in all this — what “world” do they live in? Where are their heads at?

And we are letting this PRIVATE, JUDGE~MENTAL HEALTHPROFESSIONAL-ORIGINATED, NONPROFIT(and originally, tax-dodging) PRIVATE organization basically run the family law system, which receives PUBLIC funds, from the top (California Judicial Council, Texas Supreme Court, at least, and plenty of superior court judges are members) to bottom and even let them train paraprofessionals who don’t even belong there to start with ? ??? And we then fund domestic violence organizations who don’t fess up to they’re going along with the program, pretty much, by failing to report the grants angle (i.e., how it plays into custody decisions….)

???

So, YEAH, I’m disturbed by this. Why shouldn’t I be? Did Ms. Frederick or BWJP report on, say, in 1999, how Ohio Legislature voted a Fatherhood Commission in to law, and did they warn single mothers, including single battered mothers, how this might impact their custody cases? See “5101.34 Ohio Commission on Fatherhood”

or how its membership was specifically targeted to single females? …. Or how this then, a mere 2 years later (2001) apparently, led to supreme-court appointed a TASK FORCE ON FATHERHOOD (you always need a task force, right?) I hope blog readers scan through THIS document, and search for “Philip Stahl” (an expert who testified, what else), learn how people were flown out to Maricopa County, Arizona home of Dawn Axsom – oh, I forgot — she was murdered, along with her mother, on a court-ordered visitation after pleading with a family law judges to leave, as there had been death threats — to hear AFCC presentations.

Ohio Task Force on Family Law and Children

Family Law Reform: Minimizing Conflict, Maximizing Families*

*if that sounds like your basic AFCC presentation, it is…. Experts giving testimony:

Experts and Stakeholders

Individuals who testified before the Task Force

Nancy Neylon Executive Director Ohio Domestic Violence Network

The Hon. Judith Nicely President Ohio Domestic Relations Judges Association

Kevin O’Brien President of the Board Parents And Children for Equality

Eileen Pruett, J.D. Director of the Office of Dispute Resolution Supreme Court of the State of Ohio

Nancy Rodgers, J.D. Vice Provost, Academic Administration The Ohio State University

Jeff Sherrill, Ph.D. Meers, Inc. Ohio Psychological Association

Michael Smalz, J.D. Statewide Attorney Ohio State Legal Services Association

The Hon. Leslie H. Spillane Judge, Butler County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division

Philip Stahl, Ph.D. Psychologist Author “Conducting Child Custody Evaluations: A Comprehensive Guide” and “Complex Issues in Child Custody Evaluations”

Tracy Ulstad, J.D. Ohio State Legal Services-NAPIL Equal Justice Fellow

Sanford Braver, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Arizona State University Author “Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths”

Gerard Clouse, J.D. Attorney, Sowald, Sowald and Clouse

Christine Coates, M.Ed., J.D. Mediator and Parent Coordinator Past President, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

Robert Emery, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Director of Clinical Training Director of the Center for Children Families and the Law University of Virginia Author: “ Marriage, Divorce and Children’s Adjustment”

Judy Greenberger School Psychologist, Shaker Heights City Schools Ohio School Psychologists

Don Hubin, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy The Ohio State University

Magistrate Eva Kessler, J.D. Chair, Domestic Relations Practice Area Ohio Association of Magistrates

Deborah Kline Association for Child Support Enforcement

Michael Lamb, Ph.D. Head of Section on Social and Emotional Development National Institute Of Child Health and Human Development

The Hon. Charles Loman III Judge, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division Kids Turn Program

(Did someone say there is a Kids Turn Program right on a court website? Well that simplifies matters…CN find record of this one easily, or much on the judge….)

(This link is FYI amusement — although the mother in the case is not amused. She did get the expense reports, however, and out one of Judge Loman’s associates for billing taxpayers on Thanksgiving Day, after having hand-delivered a final decision. This is a PAS/Sexual abuse allegations, custody went to Daddy case, might be interesting reading….)

{2011, it looks like a ‘Parent Education Department:

“The court is led by Administrative Judge Denise L. Cross and Judge Timothy D. Wood. The Judges are assisted in performing the duties of the court by nine Magistrates, the Legal Services Department, the Court Operations Department, Bailiffs, Court Reporters, the Legal Secretary Department, the Assignment Office, the Compliance Office, the Family Relations Department, the Mediation Services Department, the Management of Information Systems Department, the Finance Department, and the Parent Education Department.”

The required seminar (3 hrs) is “Helping Children Succeed After Divorce” as a link to this 5-yr divorce case shows, interesting docket, too.

OHIO 2001 Task Force Experts — Anyone want to bet how many of the above are members of AFCC, besides those who actually admitted it?

Here (remember — back in 2001) is the preface to the final report of this task force, showing what they did:

However, given the scope and importance of the project, the General Assembly extended this deadline, to allow this research effort to be advanced more fully.

More than two dozen experts from around the state and across the country presented testimony to the Task Force over a six-month period. Representatives from a variety of parents’ organizations,** as well as a panel of teens who had experienced their parents’ divorces, brought their unique concerns to the Task Force. Staff members obtained research articles and statutes from around the nation and the globe to find the latest policies and practices. Members of the Task Force traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to meet with staff at the Maricopa County Court system, a nationally recognized leader in court services and pro se programs, and to conferences sponsored by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an internationally acclaimed organization which provides research and programs for professionals dealing with families in conflict.**

{**and has an official policy to change the “old” language of criminal law to the “new” language of (psychology, essentially…..) –}

{**anyone see a feminist flavor within range of the task force? Or someone willing to talk about domestic violence? . .. Note — contents highlight the access visitation conferences. I attended the BMCC (Battered mothers Custody Conferenc) in NY state this past January (2011) — and practically no one had HEARD of “access visitation” nor — naturally — was it even discussed. One reason, among others, I left there in disgust. They are no better than the fatherhood groups that don’t help fathers — it’s just about the dole, the $dollar….}

At the end of the information gathering process, the Task Force examined all of the information obtained with one goal in mind, enhancing the well being of Ohio’s children and families in a fiscally efficient and responsible way. Ideas were discussed and debated, and suggested statutory language created. The Task Force focused on the idea that Ohio’s legal and social service institutions should minimize conflict between parents and protect children from the effects of their parents’ conflicts, while providing opportunities and support to parents as they continue to be parents to their children, regardless of family structure. The following report and recommendations are the result of this extensive research effort and debate and have been unanimously approved, without any abstentions or dissents, by official action of the 17 members of the Task Force present at the final meeting on June 1, 2001.

So, given all this lead-in, I really ought to show you the Philip Stahl Promotion in the 48th annual conference (guess AFCC was only in its 30s way back then…..):

TO BE CONTINUED ON MY NEXT, HYPER-LINKED POST …

Written by Let's Get Honest|She Looks It Up

May 23, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Posted in History of Family Court

Tagged with BMCC, BWJP, C.Eileen Pruett (AFCC?), Christine Coates EdD JD, Kids' Turn, Kids' Turn (my 2011 posts), Loretta Frederick BWJP-AFCC alliance, Michael E. Lamb (commending Warshak's Divorce Poison~Getting 2015 APA Distinguished Award for Scientific Applications in Psychology), Ohio Fatherhood Commission and Regions, Parent Education promotion, Philip Stahl (AFCC), Richard Fine, Robert Emery Ph.D (U.VA), Sanford Braver

	Let's Get Honest\|She… on Gulag Archipelago, Bahrain Arc…
	sandwich near Detroi… on Gulag Archipelago, Bahrain Arc…
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AFCC 8002	Ultimate CD ROM (Eighth International Congress on Parent Education and Access Programs) CD ROM?s are the complete conference package including each session?s audio (recorded live!) in MP3 format.	$ 99.00	$
AFCC 8111	Opening Session: Domestic Violence and Differentiation: The Impact on Parent Education Programs	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8112	Parent Education as Part of a Thriving Practice	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8113	FromLecture to Life	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8114	Teaching Parents to Parent: A Solution-Focused Approach	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8115	Workingwith Latino Parents	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8116	Cooperative Co-parenting vs. Parallel Parenting	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8117	Creatively Advancing Parent Education with Federal Access & Visitation Grant Funds: The Colorado Experience	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8118	Research for Rookies	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8119	Integrating the Internet into On-site Divorce Education	$ 15.00	$
AFCC 8120	Stripped Down or Fully Loaded: Can Courts Deliver Parenting Programs that Change the Impact of Divorce on Children?	$ 15.00	$

Posts Tagged ‘Parent Education promotion’

Re-education Camps Levels

Camp Conditions and Deaths

The End of “Re-education” Period

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REMINDER — in CALIFORNIA — Three accepted purposes of the A/V funds system remain:

DIANE NUNN

CHARLENE DEPNER, Ph.D., AFCC, etc.

Janet Johnston’s publications

A STRONGER VOICE FOR JUSTICE

Mission Statement

Goals

To be continued . . . .

@@@

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Attorney Richard Ducote commenting, after the news, on a 2003 yahoo group email:

We should be so lucky….The idea didn’t die …nd here’s why, and where it’s been preserved and disseminated:

The Ka-CHING! Factor, right in your back yard:

Separating (with a conflict about custody) parents ARE going to have to deal with many of these people, including a lot of judges on the membership. Isn’t it about time to underestand the playbook, by a sneak peek at them preparing the next set of game plans?

OK, that rant being done, let’s move on:

The items I checked (XXX) above are, some of them, below.

Kids First: Children Coping with Divorce and Family Conflict

“CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE”:

> > > > > > TEXAS based…. Texas Father’s for Equal Rights– Tarrant County assistance for members in resolution of their pre and post divorce problems.

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How many mental health professionals is it possible to squeeze into one court case? And how is it done?

Ideally, as many as possible — one after another, after another. There is sure to be a need for them, given that the entire concept of mental health in the family law system is an oxymoron (see the word “law”).

“The Suggested Playahs”:

“The Deception of California Supreme Court Justice Ron George”

(end of commercial break from AFCC/Family Court Fantasia. back to our regularly scheduled post subject matter, here….)

NOW LET’S SEE ANOTHER SET OF AFCC WORKSHOPS/ MP3s on HOW TO THINK RIGHT (a.k.a., marketing seminars for court professionals)….

A little more “Parenting Coordination” promo, a little more “Alienation Theory” promo never hurts:

***”Alienation” is like the headless horseman. It’s been proved scientifically unsound and rejected by the American Prosecutors (etc., etc.) — but it rides on, in places like this.

???

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Short Unique Words (Acronyms, or even EIN#s) Work Better than Phrases. I don’t always tag & quit using “categories.”

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This Absolutely Uncommon Analysis shouldn’t be! **

Cold,Hard.Fact$ (Links similar but not identical to one off-ramped to Widgets post. I may off-ramp this one soon too..//LGH mid-Aug. 2019

Ltrs to/from US Presidents ~ Federal Agencies

(Note: I don't use consistently)

Copyright “fair use” doctrine cited USC Title 17 Ch 1 SEC. 107

> > > > > > TEXAS based….
Texas Father’s for Equal Rights– Tarrant County assistance for members in resolution of their pre and post divorce problems.