COAFCC 2026 Fall Conference

Description

Strengthening Your Foundation  in Family Law

Live via Zoom

October 9, 2026

8:15am – 5:15pm

DOWNLOAD CONFERENCE BROCHURE

Featuring:

• Premela Deck, LICSW, JD, PhD
• Kathleen McNamara, PhD
• Cella Dabelea, JD
• Kristen Tarrin, CFI, CLR, GAL, CFY

STRENGTHENING YOUR FOUNDATION IN FAMILY LAW

Whether you are starting out in the field of family law or have worked in the field for many years, you will benefit from participating in this one-day virtual conference designed to help build and strengthen your skills and knowledge of family law and court-involved therapy. Keeping current on new developments and reviewing sometimes complicated rules and guidelines in our professions are not only helpful for us to keep our skills in good condition and to be the best we can be in our roles, but doing so reduces our liability in the challenging work that we do. Additionally, helping newer professionals become established and grow in this field will be addressed during this day of presentations by local and national presenters.

Premela Deck, LICSW, JD, PhD is a forensic social worker, family law attorney, educator, and researcher. She leads a forensic mental health group practice in Massachusetts offering parent coordination, therapy, custody evaluations, consulting, and support groups for court-involved families. Her practice is one of the only practices in the United States that offers post-doctoral placements for forensic family law. Drawing on her background as a litigator, researcher, and clinician, Premela integrates multidisciplinary perspectives in her work and presents internationally on family law interventions. She currently serves on the Massachusetts AFCC board and can be reached at www.sdfsmass.com

Kathleen McNamara, PhD is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Fort Collins, Colorado, specializing in counseling and forensic psychological services for court-involved families. She has conducted hundreds of parenting evaluations, consults with attorneys and mental health professionals about complex issues in family law cases, and is a parenting coordinator, decision-maker, and therapist. Before devoting herself to full-time practice, she was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University, where she was a teacher, researcher, and clinical supervisor for fourteen years. Dr. McNamara was the reporter for the 2022 AFCC Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluations in Family Law Cases and currently serves as co-chair of the task force for the revision of the AFCC Guidelines for Court-involved Therapy. She is a past president of the Colorado Chapter of AFCC and is president-elect of AFCC. She is a past chair and former member of the Colorado Psychological Association Ethics Committee and serves on the Colorado Supreme Court Standing Committee on Family Issues.

Cella Dabelea, JD is a senior associate attorney at Hall & Evans, LLC, where she focuses her practice on healthcare litigation and professional liability defense. She regularly represents hospitals, physicians, and licensed mental health professionals in civil litigation, licensing board investigations, and regulatory matters throughout Colorado. Her practice includes preparing responses to professional grievances, addressing issues involving subpoenas, privilege, confidentiality, and courtroom participation, and advising healthcare providers navigating the legal process. Through her work defending mental health professionals before Colorado licensing boards, Ms. Dabelea has developed a practical understanding of the legal and ethical challenges providers face when clinical practice and litigation intersect.

Kristen Tarrin, CFI, CLR, GAL, CFY wears many hats in the legal system: Judge, Magistrate, GAL, CFY, CLR and CFI. Judge Tarrin is the County Court judge for Dolores County in Southwest Colorado. Judge Tarrin is a part-time magistrate in the 22^nd judicial district; a position she has held since April of 2023. In that role, Judge Tarrin hears mostly Domestic Relations cases and the majority of those are requests to modify parenting time. Judge Tarrin is a contract attorney with the Office of Child’s Representative, as a Guardian ad Litem, Counsel for Youth and Child Legal Representative. She has being doing this work since July 2022. Judge Tarrin has been a Child and Family Investigator since 2019 and has performed over 150 investigations.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

8:30 – 8:45                Welcome and Introductions

8:45 – 8:55                A Word from Our Sponsor

Soberlink

9:00 -10:30                What Lawyers and LLPs Should and Should Not Expect from CFI and PRE Reports

Kristen Tarrin, CFI, CLR, GAL, CFY

The session will cover the broad requirements of CFIs and PREs with what the provider is required to report and what attorneys think should be reported, including HB 26-1309 and its impact on investigation and ultimate recommendations.

Statutes covered will be: 14-10-116.5, 14-10-124, 14-10-127, 14-10-129

CJD 04-08 will be referred to frequently as well as CJD 21-02

10:30 – 10:45           Break

10:45 – 12:15           What Makes a Parenting Evaluation Competent and Defensible? Integrating Professional Guidelines and Evidence-Based Assessment Models

Kathleen McNamara, PhD

This program will help judges, attorneys, and parenting evaluators understand how professional guidelines, ethical standards, evidence-based assessment models, and relevant research contribute to high-quality, credible, and defensible parenting evaluations. Participants will learn a practical framework for integrating best practices and scientific literature into evaluation methods, analyses, and opinions. The program will also emphasize the value of developing a well-curated library of professional literature to inform practice and identify common pitfalls that can compromise the quality, credibility, and defensibility of evaluation work products.

**ETHICS Credits Requested

12:15 – 1:00               Lunch Break 

1:00-2:30                  Protecting Your Practice: Preventing Grievances, Navigating Court Involvement, and Safeguarding Your Professional License

Cella Dabelea, JD

Mental health providers who work with children and families are increasingly called upon to navigate legal issues ranging from subpoenas and courtroom testimony to licensing board grievances. These situations present unique legal and ethical challenges that can expose providers to professional risk if not handled appropriately. Some licensing board grievances can be avoided through proactive risk management and sound professional practices, while others arise despite a provider’s best efforts. Regardless of how a grievance begins, the decisions a provider makes before and after receiving a complaint can significantly influence the outcome. As the saying goes, “You can’t always prevent a grievance, but you can often prevent it from becoming a disciplinary case.” Drawing on real-world experience representing Colorado mental health providers before their licensing boards, this presentation will provide practical guidance on preventing common grievances, responding effectively to subpoenas and court involvement, and protecting both your professional license and your practice when legal issues arise.

2:30 – 2:45                 Break

2:45 – 2:55                A Word from Our Sponsor

Our Family Wizard

2:55 – 4:25                 Mentorship as a Field-Wide Imperative in Family Law Forensic Mental Health

Premela Deck, LICSW, JD, PhD

The Family Law Forensic Mental Health (FLFMH) field is aging faster than it is replenishing, and the informal mentorship infrastructure that has historically sustained it is no longer sufficient. This presentation reframes mentorship beyond the traditional senior-to-junior dyad to include peer, lateral, cross-disciplinary, and reciprocal models — each uniquely suited to the complexity, interdisciplinary demands, and liability landscape of FLFMH practice. Drawing on empirical data documenting the workforce crisis and a proposed training model adapted from medical residency and law firm associate frameworks, participants will examine how structured mentorship functions not only as a training pipeline but as a professional asset, a risk mitigation strategy, and a field-survival imperative. Attendees at all career stages will leave with a practical framework for participating in mentorship — as mentor, mentee, or both.

**EDI Credits Requested

4:25-4:30                   Closing announcements

CONFERENCE INFORMATION

COAFCC Members can save up to $50.00 on conference registration rates!

Conference Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships are available.  The scholarship application can be found on the COAFCC website (www.COAFCC.org).  Application deadline is September 18, 2026.  Recipients will be notified in early October.

If you have any questions, please contact the COAFCC Administrative Assistant, April Freier, at coloradoafcc@gmail.com

Cancellation Policy

Transfer of registration or substitutions to another person may be done at any time without a fee. All requests for refunds must be made in writing or by email notification; notice of cancellation received by email or postmarked by October 2, 2026, will be issued a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after October 2, 2026. COAFCC reserves the right to cancel any training or substitute any presenter should circumstances arise beyond our control.

Recordings & Materials

The entire conference will be recorded for registrants who wish to watch at their convenience.  Access to recordings of all sessions is included in the registration fee.  A link to the landing page allowing you access to the handouts for this program will be provided a few days before the event.

Continuing Education Credits

COAFCC will provide a certificate of attendance for 6 hours of educational contact for those who attend either the live or the recorded sessions.  Mental health professionals will need to verify approval with their licensing or credentialing boards to meet any continuing education requirements.

General Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLJEs) for Colorado Attorneys and Judges have been requested.

Continuing Education (CEs) for psychologists have been requested.