The Ins and Outs of Providing Services to Individuals or Families Involved with the Court

Live Virtual Webinar
Eligible for (3) Continuing Education Credits

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Are you ready to stop feeling blindsided by the legal system? In today's clinical landscape, court involvement is an unexpected reality that can instantly shatter your traditional boundaries and treatment protocols. When a subpoena arrives, do you know your ethical obligations? Can you protect your client's progress while navigating complex legal demands? This essential training will equip you with the specific knowledge to confidently manage the intersection of clinical care and forensic complexity. You will walk away with a clear roadmap of recommendations—from bulletproof informed consent to developing a court-informed treatment plan—that will transform your approach and safeguard your practice. Don't just survive court involvement—master it.

Learning Objectives

1. List the major differences between providing clinical services with patients not involved in litigation and providing services with patients in litigation.
2. identify and discuss the professional responsibilities involved while providing services to patients involved with the courts.
3. Identify additional areas of competence one needs to have as a professional working with individuals/families involved with the courts.
4. Describe the additional ethical issues and additional components needed in an informed consent while working with clients involved with the courts.
5. Identify and discuss choices of interventions and the implementation of intervention services while a client is involved with the court.
6. Identify and describe professional communications to intervention teams, legal professionals and the court.
7. Discuss obstacles and challenges faced by marginalized groups when interfacing with the court, e.g., language barriers and cultural misunderstanding.

About Regina Marshall, PhD

Dr. Regina Marshall, PhD, has over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families across diverse settings, including inpatient, residential, day treatment, and outpatient care. Her early work involved extensive coordination with schools, healthcare professionals, child protection agencies, and probation. In 2001, her practice shifted to assessing and treating adults and adolescents with personality disorders. In 2017 she made another shift and specialized in serving children and families involved in custody litigation, providing evaluations and psychotherapeutic services. Dr. Marshall is committed to developing effective parenting plans and delivering intervention services to complex, high-conflict families in family court. In addition, she is committed to building a bridge between the clinical and forensic worlds to improve communication and collaboration for the benefit of individuals and families involved in the courts.

References

1. Greenberg, S. A., & Shuman, D. W. (1997). Irreconcilable conflict between therapeutic and forensic roles. Professional Psychology Research and Practice, 28(1), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.28.1.50
2. Greenberg, L. R., McNamara, K., & Wilkins, S. (2021). Science‐based practice and the dangers of overreach: essential concepts and future directions in evidence‐informed practice. Family Court Review, 59(4), 683–696. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12602
3. Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, (2010) Guidelines for Court-Involved Therapy
4. American Psychological Association (2010). Guidelines for child custody evaluations in legal proceedings. American Psychologist, 65, 863-867.
5. Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. (2012b). American Psychologist, 68(1), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029889
6. Guidelines for the practice of parenting coordination. (2011b). American Psychologist, 67(1), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024646
7. Markan, L., Weinstock, D. Expanding forensically informed evaluations and therapeutic interventions in family court, (2005) Family Court Review, 43(3), 466-480.
8. Sullivan, M. J. (2019). Reunification Family Therapy: A Treatment Manual, by Jan Faust, Hogrefe Publishing (2017). Family Court Review, 57(1), 118–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12399
9. Davis, F., & Sexton, T. (2021). Using the range of research evidence to help inform clinical decision making and treatment for Family Court‐Involved children and families. Family Court Review, 59(4), 641–655. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12599
10. Presentation for 2026 May NPA Conference by Regina Marshall PhD.
11. Wittmann, J. P. (2022). A three‐factor ethical reasoning model for court‐involved practitioners: Services, roles, and values. Family Court Review, 60(3), 507–529. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12656 
12. AFCC and NCJFCJ, “Joint Statement on Parent Child Contact Problems”(2022)
13. Greenberg, L. R., Fidler, B. J., & Saini, M. A. (2019). Evidence-Informed interventions for Court-Involved families: Promoting Healthy Coping and Development. Oxford University Press.
14. Judge, A. M., & Deutsch, R. M. (2016). Overcoming Parent-Child contact problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation. Oxford University Press.
15. Brodsky, S. L. (2011). Therapy with Coerced and Reluctant Clients. American Psychological Association (APA).
16. Brodsky, S. L. (2013). Testifying in court: Guidelines and Maxims for the Expert Witness. American Psychological Association (APA).

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