May 14, 2021

Save The Date: Workshop on Parenting Assessments in the Context of Domestic Violence Allegations

The College is pleased to advise registrants of the upcoming virtual workshop “Parenting assessments in the context of domestic violence allegations: From research to clinical practice” on June 23 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. There will be a nominal fee of $50 for this workshop and more information about registration will be provided in subsequent notices.

The workshop will be presented by Dr. Peter Jaffe, Professor of Education and Academic Director of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women & Children at the University of Western Ontario and Director Emeritus for the London Family Court Clinic. It is designed to assist mental health professionals who undertake parenting assessments (custody and access evaluations). Some of the major challenges involve assessing the disclosed history of domestic violence and potential cross-allegations of parental alienation. Current research and standards of practice raise concerns about several issues that will be addressed in the workshop such as:

  • Understanding domestic violence and coercive control (changes to Divorce Act)
  • The impact of domestic violence on children at different stages of development
  • Risks and resilience for children
  • The victim as a parent – understanding victim behaviour
  • The abuser as a parent – understanding abuser behaviour
  • Working with other agencies – collateral sources of information and intervention planning
  • Risk assessment. Safety planning and risk management and the prevention of domestic homicides

Dr. Peter Jaffe is a Professor of Education and Academic Director of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women & Children at the University of Western Ontario. He is the Director Emeritus for the London Family Court Clinic. For over 40 years, most of his research and clinical work involves adults and children who have been victims of abuse and involved with the criminal, family and civil court systems. He has co-authored 11 books, 40 chapters and over 80 articles related to children, families and the justice system including Children of Battered Women and Child Custody & Domestic Violence: A Call for Safety & Accountability. He has presented workshops across the United States and Canada, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Europe to various groups including judges, lawyers, mental health professionals and educators. He has been an expert witness in three Ontario inquests into domestic violence. He is a founding member of Canada’s first Domestic Violence Death Review Committee through the Office of Ontario’s Chief Coroner.

2020 Annual Report Now Available

The College of Psychologists of BC 2020 Annual Report has been published and is available now for viewing online on the College website through the following link here.

Reminder of Documents for Review and Feedback by Registrants

Registrants are reminded that several draft checklists have been posted for comment in the Registrant Portal Review Documents section, including the Disaster Response Checklist [DRAFT], the Checklist for Working with Gender Diverse Clients [DRAFT], the Psychological Assessments Checklist [DRAFT] and the Specific Checklist For Family Law Parenting Assessments [DRAFT]. We ask that registrants provide feedback prior to June 25, 2020.