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Therapy in the Custody Storm: What Every Clinician Needs to
Know
Presented by
Dené Carroll, LCSW & Elizabeth Crenshaw, LMFT
Friday, November 6th, 2026
9:00 am - 12:30 pm PT
3 CEs - On Zoom
Course Description
Custody cases bring some of the highest-stakes, most ethically complicated work a therapist will ever do. One misstep in role clarity, consent, or documentation can affect not just your client's healing, but the outcome of their case. Sooner or later, this case lands on your caseload, whether you sought it out or not. This training meets you wherever you are, from seasoned clinicians to those just beginning, and whether this is your first custody case or your fiftieth. This 3-hour orientation gives you the nuts and bolts to handle it with confidence: the difference between clinical and forensic roles, why dual parent consent matters so much in child therapy cases, how to collaborate across disciplines without crossing ethical lines, and why the old IPV vs. alienation debate is giving way to a more accurate, multifactorial understanding of parent-child contact problems. You'll walk away knowing exactly where your lane is, how to stay in it, and who to call when a case gets complicated — protecting your clients, your license, and your peace of mind.
Educational Goals
By the end of this training, participants will be able to identify the key roles, ethical boundaries, and clinical considerations involved in court-involved therapy across child, individual adult, and family modalities, and know where to turn for further consultation and support when navigating these cases.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify at least 3 ethical distinctions between clinical and forensic roles in court-involved therapy practice.
- Describe at least 2 reasons dual parent consent and involvement are important when initiating child therapy in a court-involved case.
- Identify at least 3 ethical limits governing multidisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, forensic evaluators, and legal professionals in court-involved cases.
- Explain at least 3 factors comprising a multifactorial framework for assessing parent-child contact problems, as an alternative to the traditional two-factor (IPV vs. alienation) model.
- Apply cultural humility principles to at least 2 case considerations when working with court-involved families from diverse racial, cultural, or family-structure backgrounds, including those with histories of abuse, neglect, or trauma.
About Our Speakers
Dené Carroll, LCSW
Dené Carroll, LCSW, brings sharp clinical skills, research-informed practice, and a deeply caring presence to her work with families navigating the mental health and legal systems. A former Sonoma County CPS social worker and court investigator, she specializes in co-parenting counseling, family systems therapy, and court-involved cases in her Santa Rosa private practice. Alongside colleague Elizabeth Crenshaw, she developed training and consultation for therapists working with complex court-involved families, grounding the work in current research while keeping ethics and the law at the forefront. As a parent of two neurodivergent children, she pairs expertise with lived understanding and heart.
Elizabeth Crenshaw, LMFT
Elizabeth Crenshaw, MA, LMFT, has been a licensed clinician for over 30 years, specializing in court-involved therapy, co-parenting counseling, reunification therapy, and high-conflict divorce. Based in Santa Rosa, she brings a rare combination of clinical depth, intuition, and calm to some of family law's most complex cases. Elizabeth has held leadership roles across domestic violence, residential, and youth services programs and has provided yearly court-involved therapy training through the Sonoma County Bar Association and AFCC. She has served as Chair of the Mental Health Liaison Committee and is known among colleagues and clients alike as a steady, grounding presence in the storm.
Location
Zoom Meeting. Requires pre-registration with Zoom using the instructions provided in your RECAMFT confirmation email in order to get your personal Zoom Join Link.
Registration
RSVP here. Please note that once you have RSVP'd for this event, you will receive a link to register for the Zoom Meeting. You must complete this second Zoom-registration step to gain access to the event link.
Pricing
1) Registration for All RECAMFT Members - no charge
2) Reciprocal registration for members of Marin CAMFT (CODE REQUIRED) - no charge
3) Other CAMFT Members - Licensed - $45
4) Other CAMFT Members - Pre-Licensed - $23
5) Non-CAMFT Members (therapists who are not members of CAMFT) - $55
Training Schedule and Attendance Requirements
Please note, this is a 3-CE training, comprised of three hours of training plus time for RECAMFT announcements and a break. You must be logged on at the beginning of the training, be present during the event (including responding to attendance checks by coming on camera, verbally replying, and/or replying in the chat), and stay logged on for the full duration, to end at 12:30pm, in order to earn the CEs. If your camera is off the entire time, and RECAMFT cannot verify you were physically present at your computer throughout the training, then RECAMFT cannot issue a CE certificate, as we would not be able to show that the BBS requirements for your participation were met.
No Recording Available
RECAMFT will not be recording this event. We hope you will be able to join us at the scheduled time to engage in this training.
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Redwood Empire Chapter CAMFT (Provider #57173) is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs. Redwood Empire Chapter CAMFT maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
- Disability Accommodation: To request an accommodation for a disability, please email info@recamft.org.
- Refunds: Refunds may be requested up to 7 days before the event by contacting info@recamft.org. No refunds are given beginning 7 days prior to the event. If a registrant cannot attend the event due to a mandatory evacuation or Public Safety Power Shut-off the day of the event, they can request and receive a refund with verification of address.
- CE Certificate: You must be physically present at your computer and watching and/or listening to the training while logged onto the zoom meeting for the entire presentation, and complete a post test and an evaluation to receive your CE credit certificate. Within a week after the conclusion of this educational event, once RECAMFT has processed attendance, an email with a link to the test and evaluation form will be sent to all participants whose physical presence during the online meeting is verified. Once you complete and submit your evaluation, you will have immediate access and be able to print or save your CE Certificate. This course meets the qualifications for 3 hrs of continuing education (CE) credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
- Notice of Recording: Whenever possible, our CE events are recorded or filmed and may appear on our website. Your participation in this event by registering and attending indicates your approval for your likeness to appear in the recording, if any.
- Grievances: Direct grievances to info@recamft.org, and/or the chapter president at president@recamft.org
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto.
