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Two (2) Hour Professional Development Webinar - $30
Workshop Description
The training team will educate the attendees on the Collaborative Divorce approach to helping couples restructure their families as a function of divorce. The workshop will explain the basic tenets of this approach, how this alternative dispute resolution methodology differs from more traditional divorce processes and the advantages of this model for families. The program will outline the team approach and demonstrate how this process works, explaining the roles of the lawyers, the neutral financial professional, the neutral mental health professional and the child specialist. The ethical demands of working in this approach and across different disciplines will be highlighted throughout the presentation. The program will use both didactic and interactive techniques to facilitate engagement and understanding.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how the collaborative divorce process works to their clients
- Identify the core elements of this process and the advantages for their clients
- Describe the differences between interest based and positional negotiation strategies
- Describe the varied roles that mental health professionals can serve in this process and how they themselves can participate directly and indirectly
- Identify some of the ethical challenges faced by professionals working in this model and how the team approach allows the different disciplines to effectively work through the different ethical demands of each role
Presenters
Dr. Honey Sheff is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, and holds a Graduate Certificate Degree in Dispute Resolution. She is a Master Credentialed Collaborative Divorce Professional. She has over 40 years of clinical experience, with expertise in family issues, divorce, and family violence. Her current clinical work is primarily focused in Collaborative Divorce, where she serves in the roles of Neutral Mental Health Professional and Child Specialist, and in Parenting Coordination, helping families during and after divorce. Her therapy practice is largely devoted to marital counseling, working with individuals who are dealing with divorce, and helping children whose parents are divorcing. She worked within the Family Courts for over 30 years, and was frequently appointed to conduct psychological evaluations for the purposes of custody and visitation recommendations, as well as child and domestic abuse determinations. She has testified as an expert witness in family and civil court cases. She was on the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and taught for 14 years at the University of Texas at Dallas. She lectures and trains locally and nationally, makes radio and television appearances, and is a member of many professional organizations, including, TPA, CDT, IACP, and AFCC, where she often participates on working committees or serves leadership roles. She loves spending time with her family, and in her spare time she enjoys reading, knitting, working out and watching Dallas Mavericks basketball. Specialties: Collaborative Divorce, Parenting Coordination, Individual and Couples Therapy, adult and children.
Chris Farish is a partner in the firm of Quaid Farish, LLC., in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist in Texas, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. Chris focuses on consensual resolution of family disputes whenever possible using Collaborative Divorce, mediation, and other consensual dispute resolution processes.
Chris is a Past President of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and has presented on Collaborative Practice in several U.S. states at statewide and local conferences, at the IACP Annual Networking and Education Forum, at the 2018 International Malaysia Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur, at the 2019 Ontario Collaborative Law Federation joint conference in Ottawa and at the 2nd Brazilian Congress on Collaborative Practice in Sau Paulo, Brazil.
In addition to his service to the collaborative community, Chris is a Past Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Family Law Section Board and on has served on the Board of Directors of the Collin County Bench Bar Foundation. Chris is also a Past President of the Legacy Family Court Foundation Board of Directors.
When a free moment presents itself, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Erin, their 9-year-old son, Carson, and his two Boston Terriers, Franklin and Faneuil.
Melinda Eitzen is a founding partner of the Dallas-Fort Worth area-based family law practice of Duffee + Eitzen. Among her many recognitions are “Best Lawyers- Family Law”, Best Lawyers- Collaborative Law”, D Magazine’s “Best Lawyer in Dallas”, “Best Family Law Mediator in Dallas”, and “Texas Super Lawyer”. Eitzen is credentialed as a Master in collaborative practice by Collaborative Divorce Texas, a distinction held by only a handful of attorneys in Dallas. She is a mediator as well.
Eitzen is highly experienced in all facets of family law, managing custody modifications, paternity cases, and premarital agreements for high-profile cases. She is the daughter of beloved deceased Judge, Merrill Hartman, who was a Dallas District Judge for 22 years on both the Civil bench and Family bench.
Eitzen demonstrates an ongoing commitment to excellence in the practice of Family Law by penning lectures, articles, and two co-authored books on the subject- “Divorce The Collaborative Way: Is It The Way For You?” and “Considering Divorce? Critical Things You Need to Know.”
Actively involved with the community, Eitzen has served as: president of the Collin County Bar Association, board member of Texas Lawyers for Children, president of the Plano Bar Association, chair of the Collaborative Law Alliance of Collin County, director of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, director of Texas Young Lawyers Association, and chair of the Family Law Section of the Collin County Bar Association. She also is a member of the philanthropic organization, Altrusa International. Pursuant to the passion for helping others, Duffee + Eitzen is a Donor to Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program- in honor of Judge Merrill Hartman, and a founding supporter of the SMU VanSickle Family Law Clinic.
Contact Melinda at 214-416-9010 or melinda@d-elaw.com. For more information about Duffee + Eitzen, visit our website at duffeeandeitzen.com.
Scott Clarke, MSFS, CFP™, ChFC®, RICP® is a Certified Financial Planner currently in private practice in the Colleyville area. He has been a financial planner since the early 1990s and has specialized in the divorce financial aspects for the past 20 years. He was actively involved in the collaborative team approach since the beginning of collaborative teamwork in Texas, working as a financial neutral. Scott presents training on the role of a financial neutral throughout Texas and nationally. He previously served on the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas Board (CLI-TX) of Trustees and was involved in the CLI-TX Financial Protocols Committee, CLI-TX Membership Committee, CLI-TX Training Committee, and was the Course Director for the 2008 CLI-TX Spring Retreat.
Accreditation Statement
Psychologists, LPAs, and LSSPs - This activity qualifies for 2.0 hours of professional development credit. Dallas Psychological Association, Inc. (DPA) maintains responsibility for the program and its content as per TSBEP rule 461.11(c)(2)(A). Counselors - This activity consists of 2.0 clock hours of continuing education instruction. DPA activities meet the continuing education requirements as outlined in Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors rule 681.142. Social Workers - This activity consists of 2.0 clock hours of continuing education instruction. DPA activities meet the continuing education requirements as outlined in Texas State Board of Examiners of Social Workers rules 781.509 and 781.511(a)-(c). Marriage and Family Therapists - This activity consists of 2.0 clock hours of continuing education instruction. DPA activities meet the continuing education requirements as outlined in Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists rule 801.264. Professional development/CEUs will be provided once the posttest has been passed (70%) and evaluations are completed. For all license categories, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be offered for partial attendance. Please retain the certificate of completion and use as proof of completion when required.