Fall 2023 Conference

MO-AFCC Fall Conference

The Missouri Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (MO-AFCC)

Intimate Partner Violence:
Screening, Process Choice, and Effective Parenting Plans
November 17, 2023 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. via Zoom

Presented by:
Kelly Browe Olson, JD, LLM, Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, Little Rock, AR; and
Corinne (Cookie) Levitz, JD, Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division, Family Mediation Services, Chicago, IL

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Brought to you in part through the generous support of our sponsors:

Description

As family courts expand the use of dispute resolution processes in developing parenting plans for divorcing, divorced, and never-married parents, it is important to understand how to identify and address intimate partner violence (IPV). Attendees in this conference will examine how IPV impacts the parties' ability to participate in mediation and other dispute resolution processes. Presenters will discuss how the nature and context of IPV can impact the use of mediation and other dispute resolution processes. Attendees will learn about different screening models, including MASIC, SAFeR and the model used in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. Presenters will discuss dispute resolution options for when coercive controlling IPV is identified. Screening for IPV will be modeled and attendees will practice crafting effective parenting plans.

Learning Objectives

In this presentation, attendees will:
1--Learn how to identify intimate partner violence (IPV) through individual pre-screening sessions
2--Learn about different screening models and their use, including MASIC, the SAFeR model, and the Circuit Court of Cook County process.
3--After determining whether mediation can go forward, learn what safeguards should be added to the process while crafting effective parenting plans.

About Our Presenters

Kelly Browe Olson, JD, LLM - Kelly Browe Olson is the Director of the Mediation Clinic and an Associate Professor of Law at Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. In addition to directing the Mediation Clinic, she also teaches Family Law, Mediation and Negotiation Seminars, ADR, and Domestic Violence courses. She oversees a statewide Special Education Mediation Project. Professor Browe-Olson currently serves on the Arkansas Parent Counsel Commission and on the editorial board of the Family Court Review. She has served on numerous committees for the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, the Arkansas Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission; the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission; and the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She has also been a resource for the American Bar Association Section on Dispute Resolution, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Family Court Review and the National Child Welfare Decision-making Network. She won the Bowen School of Law Faculty Excellence Award for Public Service in 2004 and 2013. Professor Browe-Olson is a frequent national speaker and trainer on communication, mediation, domestic violence and children’s legal issues. She is a graduate of Marquette University (B.A.), the University of Michigan Law School (J.D.) and Loyola University Chicago, School of Law (LL.M.).

Corinne (Cookie) Levitz, JD - Cookie has been involved in the mediation field since 1978. She has been a full-time mediator of parenting disputes for the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Domestic Relations Division in their Family Mediation Services department, since 1991. She also trains and supervises Family Mediation Services mediators. Cookie has been an adjunct faculty member at several area law schools continuously since 1987. She currently teaches “Mediation” and “Child and Family Law Mediation” at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law. Cookie has been involved as a volunteer with the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) since 1978. She serves as a mediation and conflict resolution trainer, volunteer mediator, and facilitator for this not-for-profit organization in Chicago where she has mediated a wide variety of disputes, including landlord/tenant, criminal misdemeanors, juvenile delinquency, community, sexual harassment, healthcare-related issues, and neighbor disputes. She served as a member of CCR’s Board of Directors from 1982 until 2011. She currently serves on CCR’s Volunteer Council. On June 8, 2001, after being nominated by CCR, Cookie was one of four adults selected nationally to receive the first annual “Volunteer Mediator of the Year” Award from the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM). Cookie was also honored by the CCR for “Excellence in Dispute Resolution” in 2013. In October of 2022, Cookie was honored as the “ADR Professional of the Year” by the Association for Conflict Resolution-Chicago Chapter (ACR-Chicago). Her training/presentation specialties include: “Screening for Domestic Violence and Other Possible Impediments to Mediation; Mediating with High Conflict Couples, and Mediation Ethics. Cookie received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, and her B.A. from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois.

Continuing Education Credits

Approved for:
4.2 CLE - MO Lawyers
3.5 CEU - MO Social Workers
3.9 CDRE - KS Mediation (3.9 Domestic Violence)