MO-AFCC Spring Conference
The Missouri Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (MO-AFCC)
Personality Disorders in Family Law:
Clinical, Legal and Ethical Considerations
Presented by Rod E. Hoevet, PsyD
This year's spring conference is an in-person, one-day conference.
Enjoy informative sessions on the most pressing issues of the day, offered by leading experts in the field.
View the full agenda below and scroll down to register for this event.
Agenda
April 10
- 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Registration; Coffee & Pastries
- 9:00 a.m. – Noon | "Personality Disorders in Family Law: Clinical, Legal and Ethical Considerations," Part I - with Rod E. Hoevet, PsyD
- Noon – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch
- 12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | MO-AFCC Annual Membership Meeting; Ellen Cowell Award Presentation
- 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | "Personality Disorders in Family Law: Clinical, Legal and Ethical Considerations," Part II - with Rod E. Hoevet, PsyD
- 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Break, Professional Networking
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Panel Discussion, with Rod E. Hoevet, PsyD; Henry Miller, JD; and others; moderated by Kevin Chafin, LPC
About the Sessions
This interdisciplinary conference focuses on effective, ethical and sustainable work with adult clients who present with personality disorders—primarily Cluster B, with relevant considerations from Clusters A and C—in the context of family law and co-parenting cases.
Designed for family law attorneys, mental health professionals and guardians ad litem, the program explores how personality traits can impact parenting capacity, co-parenting dynamics and children’s well-being.
Participants will gain practical guidance on recognizing specific patterns of behavior and tools to deal with them, anticipating high-conflict dynamics and developing appropriate, legally sound parenting plans.
The conference will also address professional self-care, boundary setting and risk management, including how to recognize when services are no longer clinically or ethically appropriate and how to terminate involvement safely and effectively.
The practical tips and guidance of this program are designed to help achieve high standards of practice and reduce exposure to ethical or board complaints and lawsuits.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this conference, participants will be able to:
Designed for family law attorneys, mental health professionals and guardians ad litem, the program explores how personality traits can impact parenting capacity, co-parenting dynamics and children’s well-being.
Participants will gain practical guidance on recognizing specific patterns of behavior and tools to deal with them, anticipating high-conflict dynamics and developing appropriate, legally sound parenting plans.
The conference will also address professional self-care, boundary setting and risk management, including how to recognize when services are no longer clinically or ethically appropriate and how to terminate involvement safely and effectively.
The practical tips and guidance of this program are designed to help achieve high standards of practice and reduce exposure to ethical or board complaints and lawsuits.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this conference, participants will be able to:
- Describe core features and behavioral patterns associated with Cluster B personality disorders, with relevant considerations from Clusters A and C.
- Describe how these patterns commonly manifest in parenting, co-parenting and high-conflict family law cases.
- Evaluate the impact of personality traits on intimate partners, former partners, children and family court professionals, including risks related to loyalty conflicts, emotional dysregulation, boundary violations and triangulation during separation and divorce.
- Develop parenting plans and recommendations that account for personality-driven behaviors, emphasizing structure, predictability, communication limitations and child-focused safeguards.
- Identify effective intervention and management strategies used by legal and mental health professionals when working with adult clients with personality disorders, including techniques to reduce escalation, manipulation and professional splitting.
- Apply ethical and professional boundary-setting practices to minimize burnout, countertransference and role confusion when working in high-conflict cases involving personality disorders.
- Recognize indicators that continued professional involvement may be ineffective, unsafe or unethical, and determine appropriate steps for modifying services, consulting with colleagues or transitioning out of the case.
- Implement best practices for ethical and defensible termination of services, including documentation, communication strategies and risk-management considerations to protect clients, children and professionals.
About the Presenter
Rod E. Hoevet, PsyD - Rod is a clinical psychologist, having received his doctoral degree from the University of Denver in 2005. He has many years of clinical experience providing assessment, therapy and other clinical services in university, forensic and group practice settings with nearly every psychological problem. He has spent much of his career working with inmates and forensic psychiatric patients and has conducted evaluations for courts and served as an expert witness. He also has extensive experience working with anxiety, depression, trauma, major mental illness and personality disorders, and has conducted psychological testing to clarify diagnoses and address a variety of questions and concerns. He has served in various leadership positions, including several years overseeing the clinical operations of a forensic psychiatric hospital, providing training and supervision to professionals and serving in church leadership. He has worked closely with attorneys, judges, law enforcement authorities, medical and mental health professionals and pastors, and has collaborated on the creation of policies, best practices and initiatives to better serve the mentally ill. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Forensic Psychology at Maryville University in Saint Louis and works in independent practice where he provides clinical and forensic services. He is fully licensed in Missouri and Illinois and holds a PsyPact license, which permits him to provide services in participating states. He has been a member of MO-AFCC for several years.
Continuing Education Credit
6.0 APA, 7.2 CLE (Ethics + GAL and Mediation), 6.0 CEU, and 6.6 Kansas CDRE credits - pending approval
AFCC maintains responsibility for the program and its content.
AFCC maintains responsibility for the program and its content.
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Location and Accommodations
- In-person conference – Columbia, Missouri (no virtual option offered)
- University of Missouri School of Law, Hulston Hall
- Hotel and Parking Accommodations still pending (availability will be limited; this page will be updated once they are finalized and early registrants will be contacted directly to receive priority for making reservations)
- Consider joining us Thursday evening, April 9, for dinner and social networking
Registration
Cancellations
No refunds will be issued.