TheFloridaChapter ofthe
AssociationofFamilyandConciliationCourts
in collaboration with the
Office of the State Courts Administrator
14thAnnualConference
SERVING FAMILIES IN TRANSITION:
EDUCATE, INSPIRE AND EMPOWER
Professional Tracks - September 25, 2017
Annual Conference - September 26-27, 2017
Florida Hotel & Conference Center
Orlando, Florida
Applications in Process for CEU, CLE, CJE, & CME Credits
Meeting at a Glance
MONDAY – 9/25/2017
10:00am – 5:00pm
OSCA’sFamily Court Workshop
This workshop is presented by OSCA for court employees and is by invitation only.
12:00pm – 12:45pm –Lunch (OSCA and Professional Track Attendees)
1:00pm – 5:00pm –Professional Tracks
Mental Health Track
Carolyn Stimel, Ph.D., Executive Director, Florida Psychological Association
This workshop will be a mixture of didactic material, group discussion, and problem-solving focused on applying mental health ethics, laws, and regulatory requirements. This workshop is appropriate for all mental health professionals who function as therapists, evaluators, mediators, parenting coordinators, and consultants.
(4 hours of credit for 490 and 491; at least 3 hours of ethics)
Collaborative Track
Paul Garcia, CPA/CFA, CVA; Robert Merlin, Esq.; andLana Stern, Ph.D.
New collaborative laws and rules take force on July 1, 2017. This workshop educates family law professionals regarding the changes and their impact on your practice.
(4 hours of credit for mediators, attorneys, mental health and financial professionals)
Mediation Track
Susan Marvin, J.D., Chief of ADR, OSCA and Kimberly Bosch, Senior Court Operations Consultant
This workshop is presented by Susan Marvin, JD and Chief of ADR within the Florida court system and Kimberly Bosch, Senior Court Operations Consultant. Topics include: expanded definition of domestic violence and interpersonal violence, mediator ethics and rules, confidentiality including IPV cases, and disciplinary risk.
(2 hours of interpersonal violence CME and 2 hours of ethics CME)
Financial Track
Helen Gyllstrom, CPA/ABV, CDFA
This concentrated class will identify the financial aspects of divorce and separation and relevant federal and state law. It will be a fast-paced overview of equitable distribution, budgets, filing status, dependents, spousal support and alimony recapture, child support, and college financial aid.Emphasis will be on review of basic knowledge with group input for planning/consultation of case studies.
(4 hours of credit for financial professionals, attorney and judges)
3:00pm – 3:15pm Break
5:30pm – 7:00 pm –Reception
(for Family Court Workshop and Professional Track Registrants only)
TUESDAY- 9/26/2017
8:00am – 9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – 9:30am – Welcome
Justice Barbara Pariente and FLAFCC President Jill Sanders, Ph.D.
9:30am – 10:45am – Plenary 1
The Power ofEducation
David Lawrence, Jr., Chair, Children’s Movement of Florida and
Judge (Ret) Sandy Karlan
Our opening plenary features a discussion of the importance of early childhood intervention and efforts to promote early intervention in Florida, especially in the courts and related agencies. The presentation will include a discussion of national and state data regarding the well-being of children, ongoing efforts to transfer data into policy and things every attendee can do to assist in these efforts.
10:45am – 11:00am–Break
11:00am – 12:15pm–Workshops 1-5
Workshop 1
An Integrated Approach to Family Violence and
Substance AbuseAssessment
Stephenie Colston, MA and Nancy Hamilton, MPA
This workshop will discuss the intersection between family violence and substance abuse. Current violence and substance abuse assessment instruments will be discussed along with five criteria to evaluate the appropriateness of these instruments. An integrated model using separate instruments from three domains (intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and substance abuse) will be presented. Finally, treatment approaches for specific drugs will be reviewed.
Workshop 2
I Love My Job: The Search for Professional Satisfaction
Sheldon Finman, Esq.; Deb Silver, Ph.D.; and Judge (Ret)Hugh Starnes
Three experienced family law professionals (circuit judge, mental health professional, and attorney), all of whom have observed the highs and lows in working with families going through divorce, will share how they have experienced ultimate joy, as well as praise from clients and family members. The common elements, which all three professionals share, are: respect, empathy, empowerment, and maintaining boundaries.Do you love your job? You can if you wish to.
TUESDAY- 9/26/2017 (cont.)
Workshop 3
Mediation Challenges and Trends:
A Perspective from the Bench and the Trench
Magistrate Amanda Wall
This workshop presents the perspective of a former mediator and current magistrate. Magistrate Wall will speak to the value of effective mediation as it relates to child support and non-waiver of support in Florida. Additionally, the challenges of creating a useful and enforceable parenting plan will be covered, particularly the need for specificity and completeness in the mediated development of parenting plans.
Workshop 4
Child Support and Case Law Update
Judge Thomas Eineman; Cindy Holdren; and Robert Keith, Esq.
The first part of this workshop will review the federal, state, and employer roles in the child support program. Revisions to the IWO will be discussed as well at the goals of the US in Hague Treaty for International Child Support Order negotiations. The Hague treaty took effect in the US on January 1, 2017. The second half of the workshop will be a fast-paced family case law update presented by Judge Eineman.
Workshop 5
Family Law Intake Revision Project: An FLAFCC Initiative
Linda Fieldstone, M.Ed.; Judge (Ret) Sandy Karlan; and Robert Merlin, Esq.,
This program will spark the development of a new intake process in Florida’s Family Courts. With the approval and support of the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Families and Childrenin the Court (FCC) and in compliance with recommendations in the Florida Supreme Court’s Model Family Court Opinion (2001), the FLAFCC created a Task Force on Family Court Intake. Be on the ground floor of the mission to create “an intake process to provide information, make referrals to legal or social services, and assist self-represented litigants with services available, whether or not the person files a lawsuit and without regard to income.”
12:15pm – 1:00pm –Lunch
TUESDAY- 9/26/2017(cont.)
1:00pm – 2:15pm – Plenary 2
Understanding the Impact of Religion on Families in Crisis
Dr. Louis Preston, Director of Diversity, Florida Hospital
When faced with crisis and hardship families rely on their faith and religious practices. This plenary offers a discussion ofreligious liberty in Florida and the impact of religion on families in crisis. Strategies to identify and avoid our own religious biases will be highlighted.
2:15pm – 2:30pm – Break
2:30pm – 3:45pm – Workshops 6-10
Workshop 6
Chutes and Ladders:
A Timesharing Plan for Substance Abusing Parents
Wendy Coughlin, Ph.D., LMHC
Addictive disorders frequently underlie problems addressed by family courts. Dr. Coughlin will present a brief overview of addictive disorders, recovery incentives, and relapse contingencies to be considered in developing safety-based Parenting Plans. This workshop will provide a model for increasing timesharing with longer periods of verifiable recovery and limiting timesharing when there is active substance abuse. “Ladders” of increasing parental engagement and “chutes” to reduce parenting time based on recovery status will be defined in the context of standard Parenting Plans.
Workshop 7
Helping Kids Stay in School and Out of Court
Dr. Dama Abshier andJudge Sue Robbins
This program will address the importance of engaging kids in education and avoiding or limiting the traditional juvenile court process.The impact of exposure to adverse or traumatic events and the importance of educators and others learning not to trigger a maladaptive “fight or flight” response will be discussed. The program will emphasize the importance of school attendance and the negative consequences of chronic absenteeism. Successful and imaginative educational programs, such as alternatives to suspension and felony transfer, alternative schools and efforts to return kids to base schools, and second-chance “drop-back-in” programs will be highlighted. The program will address special issues for judges, such as implicit bias and adolescent brain development, and how these impact juvenile sentencing and education.
TUESDAY- 9/26/2017(cont.)
Workshop 8
Making Sense of Variations in Reports: Memory and Suggestibility
Sheba Katz, Ph.D.
A comprehensive understanding of memory and suggestibility is vital in making sense of parental gatekeeping, false memories, recanting of statements, and witness credibility to inform family law decisions. Memory and recall can be influenced and are not stagnant across time. It is important for judges, attorneys, mediators, parent coordinators, mental health professionals, and evaluators to understand what influences the formation and recall of memory. Additionally, it is important to understand how suggestibility related to context and interviewing can influence accounts of events.
Workshop 9
Innovative DV Practices: Building a Coordinated Community Response
Emily Calvin, Child Welfare Initiatives Manager and
Bob Smedley, InVEST Statewide Coordinator
Coordinated Community Response (CCR) efforts require partnership with varied system and community agencies that seek to increase offender accountability and victim safety, as well as reduce the overall prevalence of domestic violence in their communities.In this workshop, current models of CCRs through its projects, such as the Intimate Violence Enhanced Service Team (InVEST) and the Child Protection Investigations (CPI) Project, will be highlighted. The workshop will include strategies for sustaining an effective CCR, including how to engage traditional and non-traditional partners and the use of high-risk indicators to homicide in building effective collaborations.
Workshop 10THINK TANK!
Family Law Intake Revision Project, Part 2- An FLAFCC Initiative
Judge (Ret) Sandy Karlan and Robert Merlin, Esq.
FLAFCC is convening a Task Force of various stakeholders to consider the elements necessary to create an updated intake system for families that would be consistent with the Florida Supreme Court’s 2001 Model Family Court opinion, which could be implemented throughout Florida. Various pilot projects will be presented that currently exist in the US and internationally. Help us develop a “wish list” for a Florida Family Court Intake process that is relevant and helpful to those it serves.
4:00pm – 5:15pm – Plenary 3
Implications of Global Aging: A United Nations Perspective
Valerie Levy,
International Federation on Aging, United Nations Representative
This plenary will discuss aging issues from a global and national perspective including the changing balance between age groups, the influence of aging on abuse and violence and on delivery of services.
5:30pm – Reception
WEDNESDAY – 9/27/2017
8:00am – 9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – 10:15am – Plenary 4
From Adversarial to Therapeutic: Keys to Changing Family Courts
Neil Boris, MD; Judge Mary Polson; Judge Lynn Tepper;
and Carrie Toy, Statewide Coordinator of Early Childhood Courts
A diverse panel of professionals will discuss the importance of trauma informed policies and procedures and how the use of a trauma informed “lens” assists us all to create a therapeutic versus adversarial environment in the courts and justice system. Specific protocols to communicate and practice as a trauma-informed professional are featured.
10:15am – 10:30am – Break
10:30am – 11:45am – Workshops 11-15
Workshop 11
Pro Se Litigants:Challenges and Opportunities
Judge Arianna Fajardo Orshan; Anastasia Garcia, Esq.;
Robert Merlin, Esq.; and Helenann Shapiro LCSW
The workshop will focus on the various challenges involving pro se litigants in family courts from a judicial, legal, and mental health perspective. The program will navigate through various experiences and provide guidance on keeping all parties focused on the purpose of family court despite the lack of understanding by pro se litigants.
Workshop 12
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Family
Danielle Archer, LMHC, Ed.D.
Due to the increase in military mobilization and deployments, more families are experiencing interaction with at least one parent in the home who has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).When parents are involved in a divorce or custody case, how does a diagnosis of PTSD relate to the construction of a parenting plan or the ability to co-parent? This workshop will educate professionals to better assist families in the development of parenting plans and providing co-parenting advice when a PTSD diagnosis is present.
Workshop 13
Money Personalities:How They Affect the Divorce Process
Ruth Angaran, LCSW and Helen Gyllstrom, CPA
At least five different personality types describe individual approaches to money.How does an attitude toward money impact and affect relationships, family harmony, and financial futures?This program will explore different money personalities and connect their characteristics to family dynamics.Groups will learn to identify financial personalities and help them work through conflict.
WEDNESDAY - 9/27/2017 (cont.)
Workshop 14
Till Death, Divorce andGuardianship Do Us Part:
Grey Divorce and Eldercaring Coordination
Erika Dine; Linda Fieldstone, M.Ed.;
Judge Michelle Morley; and Kim Nutter, Esq.
This workshop presentation will address high conflict elder care issues and unique issues with divorces after age sixty. Presenters will use interactive problem-solving fact scenarios to explore legal and other elder issues complicated by family law disputes.
Workshop 15
Domestic and Sexual Violence:Trauma Informed Trends
Andrew Wentzell, Esq.
This workshop will discuss current trends in domestic violence and adult sexual violence.The differing neuropathy of domestic violence versus sexual violence will be reviewed, followed by an examination of how trauma effects can present themselves in the court setting. Finally, tips and strategies for minimizing re-victimization while still preserving the neutrality of the judge and court process will be presented.This workshop will include interactive polls and quizzes, opportunities for call-and-response audience participation, and opportunities for extended discussions between audience members with the presenter facilitating communication and discussion.
11:45am – 12:30pm – Lunch
12:30pm – 1:30pm – Plenary 5
KATHY KUEHNLE MEMORIAL PLENARY
Failing Our Foster Children Just When They Need Us Most
Eileen McCaffrey, Executive Director, Foster Care To Success
In response to the problem of foster children being abandoned by the system when they turn eighteen, various programs have been developed to assist them with college education. This presentation highlights the failure of this approach for many children and the need for a more diverse and “braided” service approach. Data exploring the Florida systems and results to national outcomes will be presented.
1:30pm – 1:45pm – Break
1:45pm – 3:00pm – Closing Plenary
Ready or Not: The Innovation Imperative
Mark Britton, Esq., Founder and CEO of AVVO, Inc.
Social changes, technology shifts and the power of instant information have transformed services in many industries. However, in large systems, embracing change is usually a slow and rocky road. This presentation challenges the legal industry to develop systems that foster innovation that ultimately benefits the families we serve.
Gold Sponsors:
Family Law Section of the Florida Bar
Our Family Wizard
Bronze Sponsors:
Byrd & Byrd, LLP
Supporters:
Judge (Ret) Sandy Karlan
Robert Merlin, Esq.
Mary Lou Wagstaff, Esq.
Family Mediation Solutions (Bhatki Cohen and Pam Schneider)
Association of Family Law Professionals (AFLP)
Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Exhibitors:
Family Law Software
Global Solutions
Feel Good, Inc.
Matthew Lundy Law
Murphy & Berglund PLLC
Soberlink
Unhooked Books
National Association of Divorce Professionals
Expo Enterprise, Inc.
The Toby Center
Advertisers:
Craig Fabrikant, Ph.D.
Paul A. Garcia, PA
Hotel Information
The Florida Hotel & Conference Center
1500 Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 859-1500
ask for the FLAFCC room rate $115, plus tax,
cut-off date for making reservations is 5 PM,September 1, 2017
FLAFCC 14th Annual Conference Registration Form
Name:______(as you want it to appear on the name tag)
Judge, Circuit ______Court Staff, Circuit ______Community Stakeholder Magistrate/Hearing Officer, Circuit_____
Attorney Paralegal Mediator Mental Health Professional Psychologist CPAOther______
Title: ______How did you hear about the conference? ______
Organization______Address______
City______State ______Zip Code ______Phone ______E-mail______
Name of Guest: ______
Professional Track Registration includes 1 lunch, 1break and reception.
Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian,
Other Please describe:______
Conference Registration includes workshops, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 breaks, and reception.
Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian,
Other Please describe:______
FLAFCC Members$250after Aug 15, 2017, $275
Non-members$275 after Aug 15, 2017, $300
Conference Faculty $200after Aug 15, 2017, $225
FLAFCC Board Members$150 after Aug 15, 2017, $175
Full Time Students $200after Aug 15, 2017, $225
Spouse/Guests $200after Aug 15, 2017, $225
Register online at: send in this registration form with payment as soon as possible - space is limited. On line registration closes 9/18/17.
Total Enclosed: $______
Please check box to indicate your workshop preferences: