Becoming a Collaborative Divorce

Mental Health Professional: Theory and Practice

A Certificate Training Program for Clinicians
Kate Scharff, LCSW-C, LICSW, Course Director

The Collaborative Practice Center of Greater Washington

1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 400, WDC 20009
Course Description
Even for experienced clinicians, becoming a Collaborative Divorce professional is a
major undertaking. Learning to apply concepts and techniques from the world of
psychotherapy to a new multi-disciplinary, legal, outcome-focused process requires
a profound and often destabilizing paradigm shift. It also requires us to expand our
knowledge base and skill set in ways we might not have imagined. Multidisciplinary Collaborative team trainings are crucial introductions to the practical
and philosophical underpinnings of Collaborative Practice, but they are just the
beginning. Becoming a valued contributor at the Collaborative table requires an
ongoing commitment to learning-- on both the cognitive and emotional levels.
This series of eighteen classes is designed specifically for mental health
professionals who have expanded their clinical practices to include Collaborative
Divorce. But since Collaborative Practice is fundamentally is a state of mind,
participants will acquire knowledge, skills, and enhanced self-awareness that will
apply across all areas of their life and work. In recognition of the fact that
participants practices will likely include non-Collaborative divorce-related cases,
we will dedicate some of our case consultation time to discussing relevant material
from other modalities (e.g. mediation, divorce coaching, parenting
coordination/crafting parenting plans, and psychotherapy with individuals and
families in transition).
The program will be held in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC, but any
clinician able to be with us one morning per month is welcome!
Course Objectives (Brief Description)
The first nine classes of the course will provide students with a solid grounding in
the foundations of Collaborative Divorce from a both practical and a psychological
perspective.

The second nine classes will help students to raise their level of practice through
more nuanced understanding and mastery of advanced interventions.
Course Design
The program will span two academic years of nine monthly classes each, with
individual classes lasting three and one-quarter hours. Classes will be held on the
first Monday of each month (except when holidays or inclement weather require an
adjustment to the schedule). Each three-hour class will be divided into two teaching
segments of one and one-half hours each, separated by a fifteen-minute break. The
first teaching half of each class will be a didactic presentation (lecture, discussion).
The second half will be a clinical consultation centering on student-presented cases,
and will serve to integrate the didactic material into students ongoing work.
Faculty
The course faculty will be composed of seasoned Collaborative Professionals from
the Greater Washington Area. In order to maintain continuity, the Course Director
will be present at every class (whether or not she is the appointed instructor or coinstructor for that class). She will facilitate the clinical case consultation during the
second half of every class.
Confidentiality
The student group will be a closed working group for the entirety of the program.
No new students will be admitted during the two-year period. Because selfexploration is a crucial part of our learning, it is inevitable that our discussions will
contain some material of a personal nature. In order to create and maintain a safe
space, all students and faculty will be asked to commit to maintaining confidentiality
with respect to such material.
Individual Supervision
Individual supervision is not a course requirement. However, the Course Director
will maintain a list of experienced Collaborative professionals who are available to
provide individual supervision by separate agreement.

Assigned Reading
Relevant reading material will be distributed in advance of any class at the
discretion of the instructor.
Evaluations of Students and Students Experience of the Program
Course participants will be expected to make every reasonable effort to attend every
class. However, any student who attends at least seven out of nine sessions in each
year will be eligible to receive a certificate of completion. Students who miss more
than two sessions in a given year will not receive a certificate, but may continue in
the course at the directors discretion. The Course Director retains the option to
make exceptions to this policy on a case-by-case basis at her own discretion for a
student who misses classes due to unanticipated extraordinary circumstances.
In the final months of each academic year each student will have an individual
meeting with the Course Director to discuss the students experience of the course,
to review progress, and to set ongoing learning goals. Students are encouraged to
bring any learning-related suggestions or concerns to the Course Director at any
time, or to raise them during class discussions.
Admission Requirements
Participants must have completed at least one two- or three-day multidisciplinary
training in Collaborative Practice and be a member in good standing of a
Collaborative practice group (or plan join one shortly after enrolling in the
program). In addition, they must hold a valid license in their field of practice, carry
malpractice insurance, and have accumulated a minimum of two years postgraduate work experience prior to enrollment in the course. A maximum of 10
students will be admitted into the program (on a first come first served basis).
Class Dates
Year One: October 2015-June 2016, first Monday of every month:
10/5/15, 11/2/15, 12/7/15, 1/4/16, 2/1/16, 3/7/16, 4/4/16, 5/2/16, 6/6/15
Year Two: September 2016-May 2017, first Monday of every month: 9/12/16
(second Monday), 10/3/16, 11/7/16, 12/5/16, 1/9/17 (second Monday), 2/6/17,
3/6/17, 4/3/17, 5/1/1
Time: 8:30AM-10:00AM: Didactic Presentation
10:00AM-10:15AM: Break
10:15AM-11:45AM: Clinical Case Consultation

Tuition
The cost of the program is $150 per class ($1500 per academic year). Tuition may
be paid in up of eighteen installments of at least $150, with the final payment for
Year One due by July 31, 2016 and the final payment for Year Two due by April 30,
2017 (students requiring a specialized payment plan should contact the Course
Director).
Payments may be made by check, cash or credit card (a 3% surcharge will be
applied to credit card payments to cover processing fees).
A non-refundable deposit of $150 is required to hold a space in the course.
Refunds/Cancellations
Any student who withdraws from the program between the time of acceptance in
fall 2015 through September 1, 2015 will receive a full refund for any tuition they
have paid toward any classes in future months. After that, any student who
withdraws from the program will be responsible for 50% of all remaining tuition
through the remainder of the two-year program.
Curriculum
Year One (Tentative schedule: a finalized curriculum with faculty assignments will be
distributed in September, 2015)
10/5/15: The Complex Dynamics of Multi-Disciplinary Teamwork: The
Paradigm Shift for MHPs, the Complexity of Our Role, The Balancing Act
Between Tending and Moving
11/2/15: When Couples Come Apart: Toxic Projections in the Collaborative
Context, Working with Transference and Countertransference
12/7/15: The Rigidity/Flexibility Continuum: Techniques for Assessing and
Working with Transformative Capacity in Our Clients and Our Colleagues
1/4/16: Establishing and Maintaining The Two-Part Collaborative Container:
Holding and Containment in the Collaborative Context
2/1/16: The Complex Dynamics of Multi-Disciplinary Divorce Work: Team
Function and Dysfunction

3/7/16: The Voice of the Child in Collaborative Practice: Understanding the

Childs Experience, Exploring Parental Dynamics, The Role of Parent Guidance,
Challenges to Neutrality, the Role of the Child Specialist, Overview of the Latest
Research on Access Schedules
4/4/16: Conflict and Impasse in Crafting Parenting Plans: Working with
Marital Dynamics, Team Dynamics, and Inconvenient Truths
5/2/16: Family Law and the its Dynamic Interplay with Our Work as MHPs
6/6/15: Departures from Standard Protocol: Creative Adjustments vs.
Enactments
Year Two (A finalized curriculum with faculty assignments will be distributed in
September, 2016)
9/12/16 (second Monday), 10/3/16, 11/7/16, 12/5/16, 1/9/17 (second
Monday), 2/6/17, 3/6/17, 4/3/17, 5/1/17
Among the topics to be covered:

Divorce as a Developmental Challenge

The Human Relationship to Change and its Relevance to Divorce Work
Creating Psychological Conditions for Change: A Good Parenting Paradigm for
Our Work (The Frame, Holding, Containment, Empathy)
Tuning our Collaborative Instrument: Countertransference, Bias, Mindfulness
Understanding Our Clients: Divorce as Re-Traumatization
Anatomy of a Moment: The Factorial Assessment
Techniques Under the Microscope
Managing Impasse and Landmine Moments
Collaborative as Jazz: Empathic Attunement

QUESTIONS?
Please contact Kate Scharff: katescharff@katescharff.com; 301-641-3211

BECOMING A COLLABORATIVE
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
OCTOBER 2016- MAY 2017
Kate Scharff, LCSW-C, LICSW, Course Director

REGISTRATION FORM

Applicant Information
Name
Street Address
City, State ZIP Code
Cell Phone
Office and/or Home
Phone
E-Mail Address
Training/Qualification
Degree/s Date Attained
Certifications
Areas of Specialization
Collaborative Training
to Date (Trainer/s,
Dates Attended)
Collaborative Practice
Group/s
Malpractice
Carrier/Policy
Number/Expiration
Date
A Bit About You
Please briefly describe your professional background, your current practice, the reason/s
for your interest in Collaborative, what you hope to get from this program, and any other
information about yourself youd like to share (attach additional paper as necessary):

Tuition
Please include a check for $150 made out to Kate Scharff as a deposit to hold
your space in the program (your deposit is non-refundable but applicable to your
final months tuition). Credit cards will be accepted as payment for either the
deposit or for tuition, with the addition of a 3% surcharge. Below please circle the
number associated with your preferred payment plan:
1. Payment of $1500 at the beginning of each year
2. Year 1: Up to 9 monthly payment of at least $150 each; Year 2 : Up to 8
monthly payments of at least $150 each (deposit will be applied to final month)
3. Other payment plan (please describe):
If paying by credit card:
Card Number: ________________________________________________________
Expiration date:___________ Security Code___________ Billing Zip__________
Please mail payment to Kate Scharff: Collaborative Practice Center, 1630
Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20009, or be email to
katescharff@katescharff.com. You will receive confirmation of registration once
we have received both your deposit and registration form.

By submitting this application, I affirm that I have read, understand and will
comply with the terms of the Course Description (separate document).
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Signature
Date