Parent Coordination - Advanced Therapy Center

Parent Coordination/Mediation

Parent Coordination is a child-focused alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process offered as another course of action to the traditional legal process of resolving marital (and post-divorce) conflict. The Parent Coordination process assists parents in reducing the high conflict and power struggles that negatively impact their ability to work together, as well as their ability to sustain meaningful parent-child relationships. It also protects the child from the impact of parental conflict. Parent coordination services are tailored to meet the needs of the specific family and are available through individual and joint sessions

General Questions and Answers

How does the Parent Coordination Process work?

When court ordered as a Parent Coordinator (PC), Dr. Lovinger’s role includes helping parents implement a parenting plan to facilitate co-parenting communication, assist them in reaching resolution of issues that affect the child (such as visitation arrangements, educational planning, extracurricular activity, and behavior management), and monitor compliance with an established Parenting Plan. An advantage of the parent Coordination Process is that parents can learn skills such as how to use conflict in a healing and healthy way, how to become less reactive and more intentional, and how and when to step out of power struggles, all so as to better get along for the best interest of the child.

How is a Parenting plan created?

Parenting Plan evaluations are conducted independently through Court appointment. These evaluations involve all members of the family unit, including the children. They are comprehensive in nature and often time consuming so as to be able to generate accurate data when making recommendations about what is in the best interest of the children for parenting responsibility time and other services that may be needed.

What are the fees for Parenting Plans, and can they be paid for by insurance?

Parent Coordination is not an insurance billable service. The fee for Parent Coordination is $300 per hour. Each parent is responsible for separately for payment of their individual time spent with the PC in the office and /or telephone conferences. Parent Coordination Services provided jointly will generally be split 50/50. Any Parent Coordination services outside of a scheduled appointment will be charged in 15-minute increments at $250 an hour. These services include but are not limited to visitation schedule changes, documentation review (including emails), attorney conference calls, documentation preparation, mediation and conflict resolution, collateral contacts, attorney briefings and report writing. If Dr. Lovinger is subpoenaed to testify in court or to provide a deposition, the charge for expert testimony is $350 per hour and the party initiating the subpoena will be responsible for all fees. Further details are explained in the Parenting Coordinator Agreement signed at the time of service.

At the time of signing of a Parent Coordination Agreement, a retainer (advanced deposit) for fees and expenses of $1,500 each (for a total of $3,000) will need to be made. This retainer shall be replenished to the same level per parent upon its depletion. (SEE parenting Plan Agreement–this will be encryped form that only those who are clients will sign) )

How are records treated in a Parenting Plan?

According to State Law, confidentiality and privileged communication remain the rights of all clients of psychologists. However, some courts hold that if an individual intends to take harmful or dangerous action against another human being or against themselves, it is the psychologist’s duty to want the person or family of the person who is likely to suffer the results of harmful behavior, or the family o the client who intends to harm him/herself of such an intention. However, Dr. Lovinger will not do so without first sharing that intention with the client, and every effort will be made to resolve the issue before such a breach of confidentiality takes place.

Since Parent Coordination services are an alternative to the traditional legal process of resolving marital conflict, it is important for the Parent Coordination Process to not be used by the legal system for discovery. Thus, records for Parent Coordination services are confidential and records will not be released to either party’s legal counsel at any time.

If Dr. Lovinger is subpoenaed to testify in court, upon the presiding Judge’s request, Dr. Lovinger will be allowed to release information regarding his contact with the parties and their minor children and information relating to his recommendations and opinions for the family.

In cases of non-compliance, the Parent Coordinator will submit a status report to the non-compliant party’s legal counsel identifying the issues related to non-compliance. In the event of a subsequent Parenting Plan Evaluation or Social investigation, the PC will release a summary regarding each party’s co-parenting behavior to the Court appointed Evaluator (licensed psychologist only) when the Evaluator produces a copy of the signed Parenting Plan Evaluation or Social Investigation Order. Clients will sign a PC Duty to Warn and records Release form prior to service _see Form

Mediation process is confidential and utilized for settlement purposes only. All members of the family, including the children, are interviewed. The voice of the children is extremely important in Evaluative Mediation. A written report of the process is not completed; rather a Parenting Plan is drawn up that identifies the agreements and decisions made by the parents.