Help, We Need a Lifeline: Assisting The Divorcing Family To Function Using Structural Family Systems Therapy Techniques

Center members, Kim Davidson, Jon Kramer, R.J. Thomas and Heidi Tuffias will be presenting an exciting, cutting-edge new program in Redwood City at CPCAL (Collaborative Practice California) on April 22, 2023 called “Help, We Need a Lifeline: Assisting The Divorcing Family To Function Using Structural Family Systems Therapy Techniques”.

This program originated from a program Jon and R.J. originally presented to LACFLA (Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association) about family therapy techniques applied to collaborative practice.  For this new program, Jon and R.J. brought in collaborative attorneys and mediators Kim Davidson and Heidi Tuffias. This panel will discuss the parallels between effective family therapy techniques and the interdisciplinary teamwork of the attorney, financial, and neutral systems coach.  The panel will present concepts, skills and techniques and provide a role-play to demonstrate how to work with these techniques. 

In addition, the four presenters will be presenting a way to conceptualize dispute resolution cases using the skills we have been applying all along to our traditional therapy and legal cases, but have not thought to apply to our collaborative cases.   For example, have you ever had a collaborative case tangled with conflict but you cannot put your finger on exactly what is going on?  This happens to therapists all the time when they are treating their clients and they conceptualize the situation – come up with a theory of the case, create a treatment plan based upon the theory and their theoretical perspective and refine it as they go along.  This panel will provide a model to do the same thing as collaborative professionals, by using structural family systems therapy as a lens to help us understand the conflict and address it.  By doing this, the team can create its own dispute resolution case conceptualization and plan to help the family and resolve the conflict.

            This workshop is geared to the interdisciplinary team with a focus on providing concrete tools for working with the divorcing family.  Concepts will be discussed such as Team Analysis of the conflict, neutrality, blocking and interrupting ingrained “homeostatic” patterns that have perpetuated dysfunction and conflict. The attorney-mental health panel will discuss how to utilize the structural family therapy model in the collaborative process.