Main description:

Conflict Resolution, or Alternative Dispute Resolution, has the potential to be a rich and lucrative niche for counselors who work with families. Michelle Mitcham, a counselor educator with more than 10 years of experience in this unique field, explains the very specific and various roles that professional counselors may take on if they are interested in working in the court system or with clients involved in family forensic matters, especially high-conflict divorce or other high-litigation cases. Each chapter in her book highlights specialized roles counselors may perform for the court as a way to diversify their private practice and create a niche for themselves. The scope of each chapter includes how the counselor works with the parents, the children, and if necessary the lawyers, judges, and courts. The book illuminates how a counselor navigates through the family court system, differentiating the process with each role. Take-away points at the end of each chapter highlight the challenges and opportunities for working under each hat.

Contents:

Introduction: What is Alternative Dispute Resolution? 1. Mediation before Litigation: Family Mediation and the Reframe 2. High-Conflict Divorce: The Parenting Coordinator's Role 3. In the Best Interest of the Child: Working as Social Investigator or Child Custody Investigator 4. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Collaborative Law Team Consultant 5. Who Holds the Rope: Working with Court-Ordered Clients 6. Alliance or Alienation: Advocating for Children as Guardian ad Litem 7. It Takes More than an Expert to Provide Expert Testimony 8. What's in your Toolbox? 9. How Many Hats Do You Wear? Career Satisfaction and Wellness 10. Psychological Olympics and Compassion Fatigue: Is This Really for Me?