» Member Meeting

Continue the Magic: Catch Up (if you missed it) and Cement the Learning (if you made it) following the 2025 Mid Atlantic Collaborative Professionals Forum Wednesday, May 14, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Zoom This presentation will be a fun and interactive program focusing on new ideas for how we can support each other in teams, feel less vulnerable when our client is a “problem”, and always, always, “have each other’s backs.” Missed the Forum? No worries – this program will demo and discuss some of what you missed, and for those who attended the Forum, will give you a chance to go deeper, and think about applying the learning to our work. Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance. Read More

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (DV), INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV), and the COLLABORATIVE PROCESS: APPLYING THEORY TO PRACTICE Part 2 of 2 Presented by: Randy Heller, PhD, Robert Merlin, Esq., and Christen Ritchey, Esq. Wednesday, March 12, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Zoom The literature on domestic violence (DV) and the Collaborative Divorce Process highlights the significant challenges and concerns that have historically been present when the two intersect. Some identified concerns include and are not limited to power imbalances, safety concerns, ethical and legal issues, and the overall effectiveness versus the potential risks. Overall, the literature suggests that Collaborative Divorce is not recommended for DV cases unless specific safeguards are in place, such as highly trained professionals working as a team, with a robust safety plan in place. This presentation aims to demonstrate how a Collaborative team could effectively work to help a family in these circumstances. Our Collaborative Team will describe, exemplify, and explain our step by step, highly strategic process for potentially doing this work, as we emphasize the legal, ethical, and overall relational considerations and cautions. Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance. Read More

Understanding Intimate Partner Violence: Dynamics, Identification, and Intervention for Collaborative Divorce Professionals Part 1 of 2 Guest Speaker: Michelle Dodge, DSW, JD Facilitated by: Natalie Goldberg, LCSW and Barb Burr, JD Wednesday, February 12, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Zoom This two-part program is designed to equip Collaborative Divorce professionals with the knowledge and tools to recognize, understand, and address intimate partner violence (IPV) and related issues of coercive control and power dynamics within the context of separation and divorce and in particular, within the context of the Collaborative Process. The presentations will explore the dynamics of power and control that underpin IPV, learn to identify signs of abuse beyond physical violence, and gain insights into the emotional, psychological, and financial impacts on clients. The session will also provide practical strategies for identifying IPV, including screening tools and assessment checklists, and concrete protocols for addressing IPV in ways that prioritize safety, support all members of the family, and maintain the integrity and principals of the Collaborative Process. Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance. Read More

When Your Collaborative Case Starts Circling the Drain…. Stuck Cases: When- and How- We Should Start Talking “Termination?” Or Effectively Try to Save the Process Facilitated by: Lisa Herrick, PhD and Rebecca Shankman, JD Panel discussion: Steve Goldman JD, Cynthia Radomsky JD and Sue Soler, LCSW and Sarah Zimmerman JD Wednesday, January 8, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Zoom We love the Collaborative model – and more importantly – we believe in it. The worst moments in our work come when we feel we have tried “everything” to move the clients toward resolution – or even just a few steps forward – and we find ourselves back at the ugly hurdle we faced last month and the month before. Or we realize some or all of us on the team no longer believe that a resolution is possible. What the heck do we do then? This presentation will review those very tough questions, and examine some of the ingredients that can create that awful moment. We will also dig into the pragmatic questions of how as a professional dedicated to helping our client(s), or as a team, we can regroup, step back, and brainstorm process options to escape the funnel circling the drain. We will also explore how – as a team – we can assess the necessity and wisdom of facing the option of termination with our client(s). And if it appears to be necessary to go that route, what steps should we take to provide the very best support to our clients that we can – even if the case itself sinks beyond saving. Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance. Read More

End of Year Social Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Come celebrate the end of DCACP’s Collaborative year and connect with your Collaborative colleagues at this in-person event! Details to come! Read More

Holiday Social Friday, December 13, 2024 Come celebrate the Holiday season and connect with your Collaborative colleagues at this in-person event! Details to come! Read More

End of Year Social Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Come celebrate the end of DCACP’s Collaborative year and connect with your Collaborative colleagues at this in-person event! Details to come! Read More

Without a Crystal Ball? Uh Oh…. How Do We Accurately Predict a Successful Collaborative Case? Screening; Setting Expectations; Seeing Beyond the Clients’ Presentation of their Case Presented by: Lisa Herrick, PhD and Rebecca Shankman, Esquire Wednesday, November 13, 2024 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Sometimes we think clients are delightful and the case will be “easy,” but then we are taken by surprise when we start hitting bumps, resistance, non-compliance, and resentment – from one client – or YIKES – from both! Other cases appear challenging from the start, we buckle up and create a strong team…yet the challenges become so impossible we find ourselves questioning our own judgement in agreeing with those clients to follow a Collaborative model. This program will look at techniques and approaches we could include in our screening of new cases and new clients to make the path forward a bit more predictable. We will also discuss the role of setting expectations with clients at the start, and then at different steps throughout the process in the effort to avoid some of the deadlocks, and push-backs, we ultimately have to navigate. When is it time to “call it?” To advise a client to terminate, or to discuss with our teammates the dreaded option of withdrawing? Tune in for THAT discussion in January! Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance. Read More