Ethics in Court-Involved Child Therapy

This workshop equips clinicians to navigate the complex ethical landscape of working with children whose families are involved in the court system. Using the Association of Family and Conciliation Court Guidelines for Court-Involved Therapy as a foundation, participants will learn how to maintain neutrality, protect the therapeutic role, and keep the child’s needs at the center while managing high-conflict dynamics. Attendees will leave with practical tools for communication, documentation, and decision-making that are both clinically sound and legally defensible. 

Objectives:

• Identify key ethical roles, responsibilities, and limits of confidentiality for therapists working with court-involved children and families, in alignment with AFCC Guidelines.  
• Differentiate therapeutic roles from forensic roles and recognize how role conflicts and dual-role risks develop in high-conflict cases.  
• Apply ethical decision-making strategies when managing conflicting court orders, parental expectations, or pressure to support a litigation narrative.  
• Implement child-centered, trauma-informed practices while maintaining neutrality and balanced engagement with all caregivers.   
• Recognize indicators of coercive control, gatekeeping, and resist/refuse dynamics and respond within ethical scope without making forensic determinations. 

About Candice Primm, LCSW, IMH-E:

Candice Primm, LCSW, IMH-E® is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Director of Tulsa Counseling Group, where she specializes in court-involved treatment, family reunification, and child-centered therapeutic services. With over a decade of experience working at the intersection of mental health, the legal system, and child welfare, she brings extensive expertise in high-conflict family dynamics, forensic-informed assessment, and developmentally sensitive care. Her background includes providing expert testimony, conducting evaluations, collaborating closely with DHS and court stakeholders, and supporting children from infancy through adolescence across a range of complex family systems.  

Candice integrates trauma-informed practice, attachment theory, and practical, family-focused interventions to help clinicians navigate ethically challenging environments. She is endorsed in Infant Mental Health (IMH-E®), trained in forensic interviewing, and an active member of AFCC and the Supervised Visitation Network. As a presenter, she is known for translating complex clinical and legal concepts into clear, child-centered guidance that empowers therapists to work confidently and ethically with both blended families and court-involved families.