10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Risk Management for Custody Evaluators and Court Involved Therapists is presented by David A. Martindale, PhD, ABPP. This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Child Custody Evaluation Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

Mental health professionals performing forensic psychological evaluations in litigated custody/access disputes, and those who function as treatment providers to parents and/or children who are involved in such litigation, frequently express concern regarding the risk of licensing board complaints. For evaluators, this program provides information regarding specific techniques that serve to reduce litigant animosity, a common precipitating factor in the filing of complaints. For treatment providers, this program explores appropriate and inappropriate testimony content and the risks to the therapeutic alliance of therapist testimony.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the link between animosity experienced by service recipients and the filing of complaints against service providers
  • 2 Describe the decision-making procedures likely to be employed by regulatory agencies in processing complaints
  • 3 Describe the operation of immunity provisions, and the many exceptions to those provisions
  • 4 Describe the basic elements of the agreement between the service provider (evaluator or therapist) and the service recipient (evaluee or therapy client)
  • 5 Describe the types of testimony (by evaluators or by treatment providers) that increase the risk of complaints
  • 6 Describe the basic elements of a malpractice action

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for professionals seeking to enhance their skills and understanding of custody and access evaluations, including the associated professional and ethical considerations. It is suitable for individuals working in fields that intersect with legal, mental health, and social service systems, and provides practical insights relevant to those involved in forensic psychology, clinical child and family psychology, criminal justice, health care, education, and human resources.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Forensic psychologists
    • Clinical child and family psychologists
    • Mental health professionals
    • Professionals in criminal justice and security
    • Social service and community-based program staff
    • Health care providers working with families or legal systems
    • Educators and school counselors involved in custody-related matters
    • Human resources professionals handling family or custody issues

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at varying levels of experience in forensic psychological evaluations and treatment provision in custody/access litigation contexts.

    • Beginner: Participants new to forensic evaluations or treatment in litigated custody/access disputes who seek foundational knowledge about complaint risks, regulatory processes, and professional agreements.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in forensic or treatment roles in custody/access cases who wish to deepen their understanding of animosity-related complaint risks, testimony considerations, and immunity provisions.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in forensic or treatment roles in litigated custody/access matters who are looking to refine advanced techniques for reducing complaint risk and navigating complex regulatory and legal issues.

  • Practice Setting

    Format Practice occurs in interdisciplinary environments where mental health and legal systems intersect, focusing on custody/access evaluations and treatment for court-involved families. These high-accountability settings demand collaboration with courts and child protection, meticulous documentation, clear testimony boundaries, and strategies to reduce litigant animosity and complaint risk while safeguarding the therapeutic alliance.

    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Court-affiliated family assessment or custody evaluation clinics
    • Private forensic psychology practices
    • Community mental health centers serving court-involved families
    • Hospital or academic medical center child and family programs
    • Child advocacy centers and supervised visitation programs
    • Family courts, mediation services, and court-connected ADR units
    • Child protective services and guardian ad litem programs
    • K–12 school systems and university counseling centers addressing custody-related issues
    • Healthcare systems with integrated behavioral health for court-involved patients
Presented By

David A. Martindale, PhD, ABPP

David A. Martindale, Ph.D., ABPP (forensic) limits his practice to consulting with psychologists, attorneys, and state regulatory boards. He lectures regularly on issues pertaining to evaluations of comparative custodial suitability, served on the AFCC Child Custody Consulting Task Force, and was the Reporter for the AFCC Model Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluation.

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.