See You in Court? From Subpoena to Giving Evidence (and all the pathways in between)
Online Recorded Workshop Available NOW, 2hrs CPD
Practice Managers: Contact me to organise training for your team
Let’s be honest, no one (or nearly no one) chose the Mental Health profession because they wanted to spend time in a courtroom! Nonetheless, even for mental health professionals who triage carefully to avoid client work that is more likely to lead to court involvement, surprise subpoenas still happen.
This two-hour recorded webinar answers Everything You Need to Know including:
- The difference between a request and a subpoena.
- Why sometimes you will know before a subpoena comes, and other times it’s “out of the blue.”
- Whether a subpoena is valid, and whether you need to respond.
- What on earth “conduct money” is and how to actually get paid for your time.
- A decision tree for when to object to a subpoena, and how to do it, including when it may be a good idea to offer a report.
- How to write (and quote for) a treatment report that will stand up to cross-examination.
- How come you are probably not going to Court. Even though you really think you are this time.
- What on Earth an affidavit is, and when you do and don’t need one.
- How to prepare for giving oral evidence in court.
This is your go-to guide, chock-full of resources so if it happens to you, you’ll be relaxed and ready.
I started my career two decades ago working with families of repeat juvenile offenders as a member of the Department of Corrective Services MST program. Regrettably, rocking up to court from time to time for these young offenders became part of the job. I learned my rookie mistakes early! For over a decade, I’ve supported families involved in the Family Court of WA. I have been subpoenaed more times than I can count, written a truckload of Court Reports, and enjoyed(?) plenty of time being cross-examined on the stand. Inside this webinar I put that experience to good use to demystify the court process for my fellow mental health professionals.
When the Family Fractures – Therapy with Children from Separated Families
Practice Managers: Contact me to organise a day for your team
CPD hours: 7
Child and Family Therapists:
- What are the client dynamics you find most difficult when working with children?
- What situations exhaust your admin staff?
- Which client parents contact you the most between consults?
- What are some of the most complex ethical challenges you have navigated?
The most common answer I hear? It’s children from separated families.
And yet, the majority of mental health professionals have never attended training on working with this unique, vulnerable population!
(often, because it’s never been offered).
Most families are fine two years after separation.
However, 20% of children are at risk of adverse outcomes directly attributable to parental separation; and are twice as likely as their peers to need mental health support.
There are many day-to-day tasks for co-parents and their children to navigate, in seeking to resolve conflict and facilitate a healthy, connected relationship between the child and both parents. Consent Agreements and Court Orders can tell parents what to do but lack the nuance of how.
The support of a mental health professional can be instrumental in fostering emotional regulation, compassion, perspective-taking, communication and coping skills to rapidly support these families to return to thriving across two homes. However, many professionals avoid this client group, and there is a paucity of training in this specialised area.
Be part of systemic change, supporting families in their time of greatest need – efficiently, effectively, and (importantly) without burning out.
With over twenty years working systemically with complex families, and more than a decade dedicated to families navigating separation (including high-conflict dynamics embroiled in Family Court land), I am committed to increasing the number of highly trained mental health professionals confidently and competently resourcing our most vulnerable families.
Will you join me?
Attendees will learn
- The risks to child development posed by exposure to unhealthy dynamics in separated families.
- Protective factors that can bolster children in such circumstances.
- Policies and procedures that establish a clear framework for successful engagement and treatment.
- Methods to assess family conflict and its implications for treatment planning, including suitability for private practice settings, and when it’s time for more specialised support.
- Navigating ethical challenges unique to these cases, including consent, parental responsibility, parental involvement, confidentiality, risk assessment and legal complexities.
- Therapist practices that contribute to positive outcomes and those that exacerbate difficulties.
- Intervention strategies for children and their separated parents that foster healthy child development, psychological flexibility and resilience.
- Resources to make your job easier when working with this vulnerable population.