AFCC Newsletter

INAUGURAL

newsletter

MARYLAND CHAPTER | OCTOBER 2017

Letter from
the President

Welcome to the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Family and
Conciliation Courts, the AFCC, for short.  It is our hope that membership in
the Maryland Chapter in AFCC will land you in the family law professional
community you may not even know you need. Unlike other professional
organizations dedicated to the family law professional, this multidisciplinary
organization through its mission, vision and values, demonstrates and
reinforces the critical importance of the family law professional’s work and,
perhaps more importantly, the relevancy of our collective and unique
knowledge fund to the broader national discourse about the needs of
children and their families. I would wager a bet that not many who do our
work understand their degree of importance to not only the individual
families that are the focus of their professional lives, but also in the greater
context of the global evolution of family and mental health law and policy.

It likely goes without saying that if you are a family law professional,
whether it has been one year or almost thirty, you can often feel like a
spoke in a wheel with little to no control over a legal system that can,
almost arbitrarily, save and redefine lives for the better or ruin and redefine
lives for the worse. That is often because the very nature of our respective
roles in the lives of individuals going through separation and divorce leaves
us caught in between the anguish driving most of our clients to our offices
and compromising their ability to make good decisions for themselves and
particularly, their children -- and -- the stark reality of what the legal and
mental health system cannot do for them. This utterly unsatisfying and
unrelenting dilemma can wear anyone down, breed cynicism, and stunt the
professional inspiration and growth necessary to maintain a standard of
excellence and the creative spirit one needs to support these families.  

And that is where AFCC comes in.  For over fifty years, the AFCC brought
together and acculturated a community of family law professionals from all
over the country and now the world dedicated to the systemic improvement
of the Family Court system and how to best understand the needs of
families and children of separation and divorce to figure out how to best
meet those needs. The scholarly work of AFCC membership is responsible in
large part for the empirical evidence underpinning the evolution of and
much of the revolutionary changes in family law and procedure across the
country. This same work has targeted and elevated the standards of
practice for forensic and clinical work across mental health disciplines
directly and indirectly impacting families and children of separation and
divorce. From the development of the concept, research, study and
implementation of Parenting Plans, to establishing guidelines for forensic
evaluations and court involved therapy, to dedicating itself to finding
practical and meaningful out-of-court solutions to address and remediate
the impact of high conflict divorce on children and court systems, the AFCC
has incubated and nurtured the critical leadership on these and frankly,
myriad other issues.

This work has not only provided the family law professional a fundamental
empirically based framework to approach this work, it has given the family
law professional the option to convert his or her work to an intellectually
stimulating and meaningful practice that allows the practitioner the
confidence that he or she can be a force for good for this vulnerable
population.  Again, for those who practice outside this framework, it can be
hard to understand the qualitative difference in it makes to one’s
professional life.

Here in Maryland, our AFCC chapter is dedicated to bringing the mission,
vision and values of the AFCC to family law professionals that work for and
on behalf of the families and children in the State of Maryland. In so doing,
however, we are taking the necessary steps to build an organization with a
grass roots infrastructure that ensures that we hear from and address the
needs of all of Maryland practitioners and the populations they serve across
the socio-economic spectrum. We are also working to incorporate “access
to justice” issues in the fabric of our organizational goals and objectives.

Welcome.

Linda A. Delaney
PRESIDENT

INTRODUCING:
THE AMBASSADOR BOARD

Maryland AFCC Chapter has a new program to keep you involved and informed!  The
Ambassador Program ("AP") is a mechanism by which the AFCC will provide concrete
and realistic opportunities for statewide participation in continuing education and
program involvement.  Each judicial circuit has an ambassador assigned who
regularly meet and who are designing a curriculum dedicated to improving the lives
of children and families of separation and divorce.  Ambassadors will conduct state-
wide educational events, and discussions, that will not only promote collaboration,
education, and innovation all over the state, but will give those who attend an
individual and collective voice on these same subjects for consideration by the Board
of Directors when setting goals and priorities for the Chapter.  This year, the
Ambassador Board has already begun identifying issues relevant to the various
Circuits, including access to Justice and services available to attorney-represented
and self-represented litigants in family law cases. Currently we are still searching for
the 6th and 7th Circuit Representatives. Please be on the lookout for emails from
Ambassador Board members, regarding programming and events in your Circuit, and
if you would like to be considered as an Ambassador for either the 6th or 7th Circuit,
please contact Jerin Horton at [email protected]

PRESIDENT LINDA A. DELANEY
VICE PRESIDENT REBECCA C. SHANKMAN
SUSAN LAND
1ST CIRCUIT NOLANDA KIRBY
2ND CIRCUIT SARAH GABLE
3RD CIRCUIT BRIAN KANE
4TH CIRCUIT DEBRA SHEPPARD & GINA SANTORO
5TH CIRCUIT LINDSAY PARVIS
6TH CIRCUIT TBD
7TH CIRCUIT LAURA BURROWS
8TH CIRCUIT

Who is my ambassador?

contents1 SUSAN LAND
2 NOLANDA KIRBY

[email protected] [email protected]

Dorchester Caroline

Somerset Cecil

Wimoco Kent

Worcester Queen Anne's

Talbot

3 SARAH GABLE 4 BRIAN KANE

SARAH GABLE EMAIL [email protected]

Baltimore County Allegany

Harford Garrett

Washington

5 DEBRA SHEPPARD & 6 LINDSAY PARVIS

GINA SANTORO [email protected]

[email protected] Frederick
GINASANTORO@
SANTOROPSYCHOLOGICAL.COM Montgomery

Anne Arundel

Carroll

Howard

7 TBD 8 LAURA BURROWS

Calvert [email protected]
Charles
Prince George's Baltimore City
St. Mary's

AFCC 55th Annual Conference

COMPASSIONATE FAMILY COURT SYSTEMS:
THE ROLE OF TRAUMA-INFORMED JURISPRUDENCE

The AFCC 55th Annual Conference will be held June 6-9, 2018 at the
Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC.

Since the establishment of conciliation courts in the late 1930s,
family court systems have attempted to simultaneously balance
upholding the rule of law and exercising compassion. Join AFCC in
Washington DC as we explore these challenging topics, and with
more than 100 sessions to choose from, participants can earn up to

20.5 hours of continuing education.

The international and interdisciplinary program features leading
dispute resolution, legal, and mental health practitioners,

policymakers, and researchers. Eight pre-conference institutes on
topics including trauma-informed courts, mediation and interviewing

skills for judicial officers, resistance and refusal dynamics, and
interdisciplinary decision making. Keynote speakers include Jaycee

Dugard, author of Freedom: A Book of Firsts, and a special
performance by political satire group The Capitol Steps.

Early bird registration rates end on March 6. Conference
scholarships and travel stipends are available; the application opens

January 2018.

Register today, learn more:
http://www.afccnet.org/Conferences-Training/AFCC-
Conferences/ctl/ViewConference/ConferenceID/103/mid/615



Incredibly
informative.
Great speakers.
Actionable
information.

here's what
everyone is saying

ABOUT THE 3RD ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR

"Hands on" "Knowledgeable
speakers"

"Actionable "Enjoyed hearing directly
information" from the Judges that were

featured speakers."

"Practical application of
complex concepts"

"It presented presented good
ideas for use in a parenting plan
that I've not thought of."

"Incredibly "Great panel of
informative" presenters"

I liked the "Interdisciplinary attendance.
There is too little of this, considering how
much our various jobs (legal, court, mental

health, mediation) impact one another."

"very relevant to
my practice"

AFCC MARYLAND CHAPTER

PAST EVENTS

FALL 2016 FALL 2015

THERE'S GOTTA BE CHILD CUSTODY AT
A BETTER WAY A CROSSROADS

 E  xploring the Feasibility of Providing   A    Cutting Edge Seminar Examining the

High Quality, Affordable and Trustworthy Future of Custody Law and Practice in

Child Custody Evaluative Processes in Maryland for all Family Law and Mental

the ADR and Settlement Context Health Professionals. 

Statewide. TOPICS INCLUDED:

TOPICS INCLUDED: In 2013, the Maryland General Assembly
created the Commission on Child Custody
Balancing the tensions arising from the needs Decision-Making to undertake a
of the individual family and the Court's need comprehensive examination of child custody
to serve all families when considering the decision making.
availability, affordability and quality of mental The Commission proposed a new custody
health evaluative processes. statute that will fundamentally change the
Innovative Mental Health Alternatives to landscape of exisiting custody law and
Comprehensive Custody Evaluations: Early practice in Maryland.
neutral evaluations, settlement focused The ground breaking work that led to the
parenting plan consultations, brief Commission's findings
intervention model, confidential mini- The impact of the Comission's findings on
evaluation, brief focused evaluation the practice of custody law in the State of
Exploring the wisdom, affordability and Maryland, now and in the future
feasibility of providing high quality, affordable The legislative plan for enacting the statute
and trustworthy processes in an ADR and
Settlement context statewide.  SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS INCLUDED:

SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS INCLUDED: The Honorable Cynthia Callahan
Keith Schiszik, Offit Kurman, P.A.
Arnie Shienvold, Ph.D. Ruth Zitner, Ph.D.
Keith Schiszik, Offit Kurman, P.A. Professor Jana Singer
Powel Welliver, Carroll County Circuit Court Paul Berman, Ph.D.
Nolanda Kirby, Cecil County Circuit Court The Honorable Cathy Serrette
Paul Berman, Ph.D. MD Delegate Kathleen Dumais
Rebecca Snyder, Ph.D.
Brian Kane, Esq., Poole & Kane, P.A.
Laura Burrows, Law Office of Laura E. Burrows
Chris Roberts, Lerch Early & Brewer

INSPIRING QUOTE
ABOUT HOW TO
PROPERLY
NEGOTIATE. 

PERSON WHO SAID IT

background on that quote or a tip on how to properly
negotiate maybe?

Title of Dr.
Berman's
Letter

DR. PAUL C. BERMAN

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Board AFCC
Members Maryland

President  Linda A. Delaney Chapter

President Elect Lynn Hawkins

Vice President Rebecca Shankman

Secretary Eden Terenzini

Treasurer Nolanda Kirby

Board Members  Karen Amos,
                                 Barbara Babb
                                 Risa Garon
                                 Christopher Lane
                                 Cecilia Paizs
                                 Keith Schiszik
                                 Harry Siegel

ABOUT US
The Maryland Chapter of AFCC brings together
the state's diverse multidisciplinary
professionals involved with family law and
family justice system issues, including judicial
officers, attorneys, court administrators and
service providers, psychologist, social workers,
mediators, educators, researchers, academics,
and students, among others.  The chapter
focuses on developing leadership and on
creating an interdisciplinary forum for
communication, collaboration, education, and
innovation.

membership

JOIN OUR EXCITING AND
INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATION

BENEFITS

FREQUENT COLLABORATION AND
NETWORKING WITH MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES
EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
PROMOTING THE RESOLUTION OF FAMILY
CONFLICT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY
QUARTERLY INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNALS
ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES

COST

NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP - $160.00
MARYLAND CHAPTER - $30.00 FOR
INDIVIDUAL, FREE IF STUDENT

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH US

WEBSITE: HTTP://AFCC-MD.ORG/
FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/MDAFCC