Parenting Coordination

Parenting Coordination (PC) is dispute resolution for high conflict families. Its goal is to reduce the ongoing conflict between the parents, shielding the child(ren) from the conflict while providing a method of conflict resolution in a timely manner outside of the Courtroom and ongoing litigation. 

The scope of authority for the Coordinator includes assessment, coaching, case and conflict management and certain limited decision making functions over identified parenting issues. Because PC is a case and conflict management service utilized for the implementation and clarification of the parenting plan; the engagement of a Parenting Coordinator requires a contract and court order.

Working closely with the parents, Attorney Brown may utilize a variety of methods for meeting and communicating with the parents to facilitate the parenting plan and troubleshoot parenting issues. He may also utilize and conference with other professionals involved with the family, including but not limited to, mental health professionals and guardian ad litems. The process may include the child(ren) if necessary for proper case management. The engagement of Attorney Brown as a PC may be done during the course of litigation to assist the parents in clarifying, modifying or implementing their parenting access plan, or, post judgment in a case management capacity to facilitate the parenting access plan and resolve ongoing issues as they arise with the family and the plan.

Although the PC works with the court system and may provide information and recommendations to the court, the process is conducted with the ideal that remaining out of the litigation stance of ongoing court proceedings is beneficial to the conflict resolution and in the best interests of children.

Interdisciplinary Dual Parenting Coordination: This approach is based on the aspects of Parenting Coordination utilizing an interdisciplinary team working with the parents combined with individual parent coaching. Attorney Brown works with one of the identified professional mental health affiliates as a dual PC team. As neutral professionals, each member of the PC team works individually with one parent in an ongoing parenting coach role while the PC team works collaboratively with each other for case management, dispute resolution and conflict reduction. This hybrid model is utilized most often for the severely conflict driven family. The strength of the interdisciplinary team, combined with coaching and dispute resolution, assists inn moving the family out of litigation and into an ongoing managed parenting dynamic.