Considerations in Court-Involved Therapy With Parents

This article reviews the characteristics of parents involved in the custody and visitation disputes in the legal system, foundations for treating such parents, and an integrative systemic therapy developed to intervene with these families. Parents and children involved in these conflicts are often at risk for a wide variety of problems. The integrative family therapy described utilizes multilevel intervention strategies and techniques drawn from different theoretical models. The article describes a protocol for treatment and set strategies for intervention that are useful for the whole family system, both parents, or only one parent. It is argued that a systemic perspective and linking work at all levels, including the court, is essential in the treatment of these cases.