Impediments to the Establishment of Collaborative Teams with the HCD1 Family

In entrenched conflict divorced families it is common for there to be several therapists involved with various family members. The typical scenario in such circumstances is that each therapist has a part of the family story. It is often difficult for any one therapist to gain a full understanding of the rich and complex interplay of family dynamics. Recent formulations (Johnston 2000, Sullivan and Kelly 2001) in HCD and alienation cases have drawn attention to the need for coordinated services among professionals. Toward that end, the establishment of collaborative teams, where members share strategy and information concerning a particular family, has been the developing and most favored method of intervention. One therapist generally heads up the team and coordinates the flow of information between individual therapists, attorneys and the courts. In Colorado this mental health professional is frequently termed the Parenting Coordinator (PC see ahead). While the collaborative team process is sometimes expensive and difficult to maintain, this method offers new hope for emerging or entrenched HCD families. There are however impediments to the establishment of these teams. These “roadblocks ” often place additional pressure on the collaborative team members to maintain a cooperative stance. Th