Common Questions 


Do you offer court-involved therapy?

Yes. We provide several forms of court-involved therapy, including:
  • Reunification Therapy
  • Co-Parenting Therapy
  • Parallel Parenting Therapy
  • Individual Therapy connected to court cases

All court-involved services are provided fully online for the safety of all parties.

We are court-aware, meaning:
  • We understand how therapy intersects with the legal system
  • We document carefully and professionally
  • We stay strictly within our therapeutic role (scope of practice)

We do not provide:
  • Custody evaluations or recommendations
  • Forensic evaluations
  • Opinions on custody time or legal outcomes
  • Guarantees of success or outcome 

Our Summaries of Services are written in Declaration form so they may be submitted to the court if needed.
 

Do you have Spanish-speaking therapists?

Yes. We typically have at least one Spanish-speaking therapist on our team.

You can view therapist profiles and current availability here:
https://www.healplaylove.org/meet-our-team.html

Spanish-speaking therapists will have a link to their Spanish profile. 


Do you offer a sliding scale?

Yes. We offer a sliding-scale rate of $40 per session for clients who do not have Medi-Cal or Medicare.

Many clients with commercial insurance (for example, employer-based plans) choose to waive insurance and use our reduced-fee option instead.

Please note: By law, we cannot offer reduced-fee or cash-pay options to clients who have Medi-Cal or Medicare.
 

Do you take [?] insurance?

We take a variety of insurances. You can browse that list here to find your insurance. 


Are you familiar with domestic violence and coercive control?

Yes. Our clinicians are trauma-informed and experienced in working with:
  • Domestic violence
  • Coercive control and coercive compliance
  • Trauma bonding
  • High-conflict and power-imbalanced relationships

Our approach prioritizes safety, stabilization, and nervous-system regulation before insight, accountability, or behavioral change.

What is your therapeutic approach?

We are eclectic and trauma-informed. We believe that lasting change happens after regulation.

Our work prioritizes:
  • Emotional and physical safety
  • Predictability and structure
  • Nervous-system stabilization

Ater regulation, we move toward:
  • Insight
  • Accountability
  • Skill-building
  • Relational repair

This approach is especially important in trauma histories, domestic violence dynamics, and court-involved cases.


Can I choose my own therapist?

Yes, you may choose your own therpist. However, this is dependent upon therapist availability, insurance and/or payment options you wish to use, as well as any other party involved (for example, reunification therapy).


What is reunification therapy?

Reunification therapy is a structured therapeutic process designed to support the restoration of a safe parent-child relationship. The focus of reunification therapy is to help the child process emotions, reduce loyalty conflicts, and gradually rebuild a functional relationship with the parent when appropriate.

Reunification therapy is not a custody evaluation or forensic assessment. The role of the therapist is treatment and family stabilization, not making legal recommendations about custody.

When should reunification therapy begin if a child is refusing contact with a parent?

Early intervention is typically more effective. When parent-child contact refusal continues for long periods, the dynamics can become more entrenched and more difficult to repair.

Reunification therapy works best when it begins soon after the refusal pattern is identified so that the child can process their experiences and rebuild connection in a structured and supportive environment.

How does reunification therapy differ from a custody evaluation?

​Reunification therapy is a therapeutic intervention. The purpose is to support family functioning and restore parent-child contact when possible.

Custody evaluations and forensic psychological assessments are investigative processes used by the court to make legal decisions. Our practice does not conduct custody evaluations or forensic psychological assessments. Instead, we provide treatment services such as reunification therapy and high-conflict co-parenting counseling.

What challenges are common in cases where a child refuses contact with a parent?

When a child refuses contact with a parent, the situation often involves complex emotional dynamics. Children may feel loyalty conflicts, anxiety about parental conflict, or confusion about family relationships. In high-conflict divorce situations, these emotional pressures can make it difficult for the child to maintain relationships with both parents.

Reunification therapy focuses on helping the child express emotions safely while gradually rebuilding a functional parent-child relationship.

What makes reunification therapy successful in high-conflict family cases?

Successful reunification therapy typically includes clear structure, consistent expectations, and a focus on the child’s emotional needs. The process often involves individual sessions with the child and parents (separately), and carefully structured reunification meetings.

Progress tends to occur when the adults involved remain focused on the child’s wellbeing rather than continuing the conflict between each other.

What is high-conflict co-parenting counseling?

High-conflict co-parenting counseling is a therapeutic service designed to help separated or divorced parents reduce conflict, create healthy boundaries, and develop more effective communication around parenting decisions.

Why do some therapists avoid high-conflict divorce cases?

High-conflict family cases can be challenging because they often involve intense emotions and ongoing legal proceedings. Some clinicians choose not to work in these situations due to the complexity of the family dynamics and the need for clear boundaries between therapy and legal processes.

Clinicians who specialize in reunification therapy and high-conflict co-parenting counseling are trained to maintain therapeutic neutrality while focusing on family stabilization and child wellbeing.

How does therapy remain neutral in high-conflict custody situations?

Maintaining neutrality is essential in court-involved family therapy. The therapist’s role is not to determine which parent is “right” or to make custody recommendations. Instead, the therapist focuses on supporting the child’s emotional functioning and helping family members develop healthier patterns of interaction.

Therapy documentation is kept objective and focused on treatment rather than legal conclusions.

When do attorneys typically refer families for reunification therapy?

Family law attorneys often refer families for reunification therapy when a child refuses or resists contact with one parent, when the parent-child relationship has been disrupted, or when the court recommends therapeutic intervention to restore family functioning.

Attorneys may also refer families for high-conflict co-parenting counseling when parents are struggling to communicate effectively about parenting decisions.

How often are you encountering cases where the child is refusing contact with one parent?

In high-conflict divorce cases it’s actually quite common. We see a spectrum — sometimes it’s developmentally understandable resistance, and sometimes the child has become more firmly aligned with one parent.

The key clinically is assessing the underlying drivers: anxiety, loyalty conflicts, attachment disruptions, or family system dynamics. The earlier intervention begins, the easier it is to stabilize the relationship.

In the cases you see, do judges typically order reunification therapy, or are attorneys initiating it?

Both happen. In many situations attorneys encourage their clients to initiate therapy first because it can move faster than waiting for a court order. Judges tend to order reunification when contact has already broken down significantly or when prior interventions haven’t worked.

Sometimes the custodial parent will not agree to voluntary reunification. In those situations, a court order is often needed to elicit cooperation. When reunification therapy is court-ordered, it helps if the order clearly outlines expectations and participation requirements.


How can attorneys refer families for reunification therapy or co-parenting counseling?

Clients should view our bios here, find a therapist who seems to be a good fit, and reach out to that provider directly, or call 800.430.4490, ext. 1. 

Clients will need to agree on provider, and/or accept the provider who has availability to take a new case. 


Limits
We do not conduct custody evaluations or forensic psychological assessments, and we do not provide legal opinions regarding custody decisions. Our focus is therapeutic intervention and family stabilization.

You can browse types of insurance here.

You can browse our bios here and reach out to individual therapists who might be a good fit for your and/or your family. 

For potential Practicum Site Students: Go to Common Practicum Site Questions 

​Member of ​the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.