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9 J. Child Custody 1 (2012)

handle is hein.journals/wjcc9 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Child Custody, 9:1-4, 2012 ElRoutledge Copyright () Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Taylor&FrancisGroup ISSN: 1537-9418 print/1537-940X online DOI: 10.1080/15379418.2012652563 Introduction to the Special Issue on Court-Involved Therapy MATTHEW J. SULLIVAN Independent Practice, Palo Alto, California LYN R. GREENBERG Independent Practice, Forensic and Clinical Psychology, Los Angeles, Calfornia First, do no harm. (Hippocrates, 400 B.C.E.) The guidelines for court-involved therapists, published for family and juven- ile dependency court professionals in 2011 by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC, 2011), are a concise reference source for any legal or mental health professional to consult in order to better under- stand the points of intersection between law and mental health treatment in the context of custody and juvenile dependency cases. Given the high rate of parental separation in our society and the emotional stress that these transitions create for families, it is likely that many therapists will encounter such distressed families in their therapy practices. The AFCC Guidelines are a lighthouse beacon in a treacherous sea of professional risk that accompanies work with this population. While appro- priate therapy can be of enormous benefit to families, there are too many cases in which well-intentioned therapists create harm to children and families. The potential for harm is often due to a mental health professional's lack of understanding of the complex issues generated by the legal context in which they work and the accompanying need to adapt their treatment methods and procedures. As a follow-up to the guidelines, the editors of this issue have compiled a number of interdisciplinary articles that provide additional guidance to therapists working with court-involved families. Our authors discuss a variety of specialized topics related to court-involved therapy to help professionals better understand and manage the complexities of providing therapy in these cases. Therapists working with court-involved families may be expected to encounter some of the most difficult issues that arise in family systems. These Address correspondence to Matthew J. Sullivan, 417 Tasso Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301. E-mail: sullydoc@aol.com

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