Clinicians-Are you prepared for a high conflict family court case?
I could talk about play therapy all day. It’s fun and exciting and so powerful. You know what’s not fun? Spending a whole day in court responding to a subpeoona on a divorce and custody case.
In the 2017 Play Therapy Summit, Lynn Louise Wonders reminds us that if we are not prepared for potential court cases, then we are really vulnerable in all aspects of our play therapy practice.
It’s not fun. It’s not exciting. But it is REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT.
And thankfully, Lynn is willing to guide us through this process in her course on Play Therapy & Family Court.
Use Social Media Wisely
Many professionals update their fees (and forms) at the beginning of every year. We’re going to talk about the policies and protocols that you might want to consider revising. But first, a reminder from Lynn:
Just don’t. Aside from the fact that the advice that you get there (or anywhere else on the Internet) might not be good, it is a potential violation of HIPAA privacy concerns. *Side note: this article is for educational purposes only based on the experiences of this author and Lynn Louise Wonder and is not to be perceived as legal or ethical advice. Just stuff to consider!
Consider this change to your informed consent documents
In her course Play Therapy and Family Court, Lynn Louise Wonders offers one powerful tip that could help protect you (professionals) anytime you are involved in a high conflict custody or divorce case.
And if you’ve been in practice for a while, you may have already heard about it. And, you might have already implemented it. If so, then give yourself a little pat on the back right now.
But, if not…then, you might consider blocking out just an hour (or less) of your time to review your informed consent forms and make this one little change.
What is it?
Add a statement to your informed consent that requires parents to agree NOT to subpoena you for court hearings. And have parents initial it.
(And yes, Lynn and I both know that you can still get subpoenaed to court).
But, she explains why this statement is so helpful in her course.
She also recommends that you have a lawyer look over your informed consent (so if you are involved in a lot of these types of cases, that’s a great idea as well and worth the investment).
Take a second to review your informed consent form right now…what does it say about divorce and custody cases? And is it enough?
You be the judge.
Think No One Will EVER Do Anything Bad To You?
In this course, Lynn was talking about the form that she has parents sign agreeing not to secretly record their sessions.
“Who would do that?” I asked.
And her response –
“That’s what makes you vulnerable!”
And from her experience, there are people who would do it. And so, it became her mission to protect other therapists from this type of vulnerability.
She includes her example “Non-Recording Agreement” as a bonus material in her summit course. You can download and start using it just to add another level of protection to your practice in 2018.
Lynn was brave enough to tackle this serious topic during the Play Therapy Summit even though she knew that a more fun and playful topic might be more “popular.” And she did this because she really cares about clinicians. She isn’t afraid to tackle the tough stuff.
But…she’s also pretty good at the fun stuff.
And she has this whole arsenal of play therapy training on other really great topics.
AND…BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!
She is moving ALL of her courses to my learning site so that you can consolidate your training in one easy to access place.
What you need to know:
- Three courses are available right now and a bunch more are coming next month.
- They are all non-contact training approved by APT (but if you’ve taken them before from her, then don’t take them again because the content is the same)
- They are NOT included in your All Access Pass from the Summit
We have a course for a clinician at every level:
Beginner: Play Therapy Across the Lifespan
Intermediate: Mindfulness in Play Therapy
Advanced: A Play Therapy Approach to Treating Trichotillomania
Grab those courses as well as her Play Therapy Summit course on Play Therapy & Family Court here:
*Note: this course is designed for play therapists or other mental health clinicians as continuing education credit. (APT Approved Provider 12-331)
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