Carmen
Vazquez, Ph.D., ABPP and Martin Juvelier, Esq. began a group
in April 2008 to develop a closer collaboration between
culturally competent mental health providers and attorneys
working with a diverse population in courtroom situations
involving separation, divorce, parenting, contested child
custody cases, and extending beyond family to any area of
the law, such as constitutional rights, sexual orientation
issues, and tort litigation. Although begun with
psychologists, the plan is to include other mental health
professionals.
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One
of the goals is to conduct workshops and postdoctoral
programs to train mental health professionals and
attorneys to understand diverse cultures.
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Another goal is to establish a list of mental health
resources and professionals available to judges and
attorneys.
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A
third goal is to train Parenting Coordinators, using the
Parenting Coordination model, to teach parents to put
their children first to overcome the negative effects of
contentious divorces.
