Prudent Therapy in High Conflict Cases: With and Without Allegations of Intimate Partner Violence or Child Abuse

Abstract

Many therapists see large numbers of people who are going though the process of divorce, but they do not receive training about the special issues that emerge in many divorcing families, particularly those who are engaged in high levels of conflict. Therapists in these cases may be faced with situations where there are allegations of abuse or domestic violence or other allegations are swirling within high conflict complex cases, in which the therapist is drawn toward advocacy or into action that is inadvertently detrimental to the family or puts the therapist at risk. This article describes some of these professional risks and recommends best practices in these complicated clinical cases.

KEYWORDS:

• divorce therapy
• child abuse
• domestic violence
• high-conflict divorce