Parent Coordination

Overview The primary goals of parent coordination are to provide parents with a forum for resolving child-related disputes outside of the courtroom and to help parents focus on the needs of the child(ren) instead of their parental conflict. The duties of a parent coordinator include providing parents with problem solving and conflict management services, helping parents implement and clarify the parenting plan, monitoring compliance with court orders, and providing parents, attorneys and the court with recommendations for new or modified parenting time provisions as necessary. The role of parenting facilitation or coordination is undertaken only after I receive copies of a signed court order. The specific duties may vary in different families depending on how the order defines my role. It is most helpful if the court order is specific about my role and my duties. This process differs from both therapy and mediation-there is no therapist/client privilege, the process is not confidential and insurance companies generally do not offer reimbursement for parent coordination.

Usually the court order that provides for the duties of the parent coordinator also provides for the use of the court, if necessary, to resolve disputes that the coordinator cannot resolve with the parents.
Appointments The general format in this office for parent coordination services is meeting with each parent separately for an initial one hour visit, followed by one hour joint parent appointments. Based on the individual issues of the family, we sometimes meet separately beyond the first visit, but the content of these visits is not confidential, and a summary of these visits may be made available to the other parent. In order to be effective, the parent coordination process must be carefully neutral. Other services in addition to appointments may include email monitoring, monitoring of drug and alcohol tests, or coordination with other services for the children, such as therapy or medical needs.
Cancellation If you cannot keep your appointment, it will be your responsibility to cancel 24 hours ahead of time. If you do not cancel within 24 hours of your appointment, you will be charged a $25 late cancellation fee. Repeat late cancellations will incur a full fee charge for the appointment.

Please make every effort to be on time for your appointments. If you arrive late, you will still be seen, but the session will end at the allotted time, and you will be billed for the entire appointment.
Payment My hourly rate is $150 for all services except court testimony/deposition, which is billed at $250 per hour. With parent coordination cases, a $1000 deposit is required ($500 per parent if fees are being divided equally). This deposit must be paid in full prior to the first date of service. Additional payments will be required when either parent's deposit falls below $200 or the combined deposit fund is less than $400. The fees for conjoint visits will be divided equally between the parents unless a different fee arrangement is specified in the court order or agreed upon by both parents. Conversely, fees for individual visits and contacts will be charged solely to the individual parent unless the court order specifies otherwise. Letters, email exchanges, phone consultations and other case related services will be billed at $150 per hour. Routine email monitoring will be billed at a rate of $30 per month.

If payment is not received promptly, then the attorneys will be notified, and this may reflect poorly on the parents' ability or willingness to work together or cooperate with the court order.
Disclosure of Information Parent coordination is not confidential. The usual confidentiality guidelines as applied to protected health information do not apply. In order to fulfill my duties as a parent coordinator, I will communicate with the court and with all attorneys involved in your case. I will also, at times, communicate with therapists, teachers, physicians, law enforcement officials and other professionals who have relevant information about parent or child functioning. As part of this process, parents must sign all releases necessary to obtain information from these professionals.
Summary Parent coordination provides a positive structure for resolving conflicts, monitoring the progress of parenting time and teaching parents more about cooperative communication. The above outlined structure is an attempt to describe the basic format of the parenting coordination, but the actual process is much more fluid and responsive to your individual family's needs. The process attempts to help parents focus on their children and the future in positive cooperative ways.