Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society
a local chapter of Division 39 (Division of Psychoanalysis)
of the American Psychological Association
presents a
Saturday Morning Seminar
with
Ronda Redden Reitz, PhD,
and Michael Sanders, PhD,
on
Conflict at the Core:
Applying Psychoanalytical Insights to Family Court Dilemmas
December 14, 2019
9:30am - 1:15pm
PLEASE NOTE:
Registration begins at 9:30am.
Program begins at 10am.
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Morrison Education and Conference Center
1924 Alcoa Highway
Knoxville, TN 37920
Click here for directions to the venue.
Most clinicians avoid entering the conflict-laden legal arena. Dealing with attorneys and judges can be uncomfortable and imposing, with a marked feelings of loss of control. These clinicians only do so when their client’s problems drag them, unwillingly, into this potential minefield. A few clinicians voluntarily embrace the legal arena where conflict is the norm with the hope that their unique skill-set can assist the Court in making difficult decision between adversarial parties. Leaving the comfort of the consulting room for the conflict of the courtroom is not for the faint of heart. This intermediate-level seminar offers both sets of clinicians the necessary background to feel more comfortable when operating within a legal framework. It opens with a review of APA ethical guidelines, best practice models, and Tennessee jurisprudence relevant to family matters before the Court. Case study will reveal the ways in which psychoanalytic insights and clinical experience may inform court-related evaluation and testimony that is otherwise guided by forensic and scientific standards. Drs. Reitz and Sanders will discuss the advantages they find in working as a collaborative team to advise and educate the Court as it attempts to make decisions that protect the best interests of the child. They will outline alternative dispute resolution services clinicians may provide and how such services protect children’s mental health when marriages dissolve.
This program is designed to meet the requirement for psychologists licensed in the state of Tennessee to obtain continuing education in ethics and the law, including the requirement to obtain continuing education on Tennessee State Law.
For further information, please refer to the Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology.
Participants are advised to review the following documents prior to the program.
The presenters will entertain questions and discussion on these documents
during the program.
See http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspxfor the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/for Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 11.
http://www.tn.gov/sos/rules/1180/1180.htmfor an Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Tennessee, Chapters 1180-1, 1180-2, 1180-3, and 1180-4.
Presenters
Ronda Redden Reitz, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist in independent practice. Over the past 20 years, she has gained extensive experience working with patients who are trying to negotiate divorce and its aftermath, and she has worked closely with local courts to provide child custody evaluations, adoption consultation, and family reunification therapy. A long-time member of APS, she has served as president and has held other board positions. Dr. Reitz has previously presented to APS on the topics of intimate partner violence and also on gender and sexuality. She participates in the Memphis-Atlanta Jungian Seminar where she is in the process of pursuing analytic training.
Michael W. Sanders, PhD, is a longtime member and past president of APS. Licensed both in Clinical and School psychology, he has been in private practice for 35 years, specializing in helping families face and work through divorce. He has served as a consultant and expert to schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, attorneys and court systems and is a listed Rule 31 Family Mediator specially trained in domestic violence. He is a founding member and of the East Tennessee Collaborative Alliance, a multi-disciplinary group which guides families through the emotional, legal, and financial complexities of divorce without a formal court hearing and where he currently serves as a Divorce Coach. Dr. Sanders maintains a website: www.drmichaelsanders.com/.
Schedule
9:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:50am Welcome and Introduction
10:00am Conflict at the Core, Part 1
11:30am Break
11:45am Conflict at the Core, Part 2
1:15pm Complete Evaluations and Adjourn
Learning Objectives
After attending this intermediate-level seminar in full, participants will be able to:
1. Identify APA ethical guidelines, best practice models, and Tennessee jurisprudence with particular relevance to child custody and other family issues before the Court.
2. Distinguish between clinical and forensic models of inquiry as they relate to child custody and other family matters that may come before the Court.
3. Discuss how psychoanalytic concepts may inform a forensically-based procedure such as child custody evaluation.
4. Explain the Daubert Standard and its applicability to expert testimony given by psychologists and other mental health professionals.
5. Describe several alternative dispute resolution services that mental health practitioners can provide to assist families struggling with divorce (e.g., mediation, parent coordination, child custody evaluation, therapeutic visitation, family therapy, collaborative divorce).
Participants
This program is open to all APS members and other interested mental health professionals who may not be members. It is not limited to individuals practicing in a predominately psychoanalytic mode. The material will be appropriate for clinicians with intermediate levels of experience and knowledge.
Registration
Professional and Scholar Members:
$45 until December 9, 2019,
$55 after December 9, 2019.
Early-Career Professional Members:
$25 until December 9, 2019,
$35 after December 9, 2019.
Graduate Student Members: Free.
Non-members:
$60 until December 9, 2019,
$70 after December 9, 2019.
Although walk-ins will be accepted, please register online at www.aps-tn.wildapricot.org in advance to assure adequate food and seating.
If you prefer to pay by check, please mail your payment to:
Scott Swan, PhD
APS Treasurer
1005 Kenesaw Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37919.
Refunds honored with written/electronic notice at least 24 hours before date of conference. Contact Scott Swan, PhD. Contact the APS President Joyce Cartor, PhD, to negotiate fees, if needed. Facility is accessible to persons who are physically challenged. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons requesting them.
APS Membership:
Eligible professionals can join APS or renew their membership for the 2019-2020 program year for $80. Scholars can join/renew for $50 and Early-Career Professionals can join/renew for $45. Graduate students may join or renew for $25.
American Psychological Association Approval Statement:
Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Continuing Education:
This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 3.0 continuing education credits. With full attendance and completion of a program Evaluation and Learning Assessment, a certificate will be issued. Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39.
This program is designed to meet the requirement for psychologists licensed in the state of Tennessee to obtain continuing education in ethics and the law, including the requirement to obtain continuing education on Tennessee State Law. For further information, please refer to the Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology.
APS and Division 39 are committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. APS and Division 39 are also committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.
Selected References/Recommended Reading:
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspxfor the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/for Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 11.
http://www.tn.gov/sos/rules/1180/1180.htmfor an Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Tennessee, Chapters 1180-1, 1180-2, 1180-3, and 1180-4.
Brodsky, S. (1991). Testifying in Court: Guidelines and Maxims for the Expert Witness. American Psychological Association.
Brodsky, S. (1999). The Expert Witness: More Maxims and Guidelines for Testifying in Court. American Psychological Association.
Gould, J. and Martindale, D. (2007). The art and science of child custody evaluations. The Guilford Press.
Kuehnle, K. (1996). Assessing allegations of child sexual abuse. Professional Resource Exchange, Inc.
Wakefield, H. (2006). Guidelines on investigators interviewing of children: What is the consensus in the scientific community? American Journal of Forensic Psychology, 24 (3), 57-62.
Contact:
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address requests, questions, concerns and any complaints to APS President Joyce Cartor, PhD.
There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between Division 39, APS, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding sources that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. During the program, the validity/utility of the content and risks/limitations of the approaches discussed will be addressed.