Family Court Counselor

Job Summary

A Family Court Counselor evaluates and makes recommendations regarding disputed child custody, visitation and guardianship matters. Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Investigating and determining facts and conditions regarding issues of domestic violence and child and substance abuse
• Making collateral contacts
• Interviewing parties
• Making community referrals
• Presenting recommendations orally and in writing
• Testifying in court
• Congducting child custody recommending counseling conferences
• Drafting stipulated settlement agreements
• Preparing and maintaining case files, court reports and statistical records

Knowledge

The ideal candidate should have the following:

• Principles and practices of mental health
• Adult psychopathology
• Psychological and socioeconomics of the family unit
• Characteristics and signs of abuse, domestic violence and substance abuse
• Clinical issues relating to family dysfunction and child development
• Laws related to visitation, custody and parental rights
• Child custody recommending counseling, negotiation and individual/group counseling practices and techniques
• Governmental and private community resources and referral agencies

Ability

The ideal candidate should be able to:

• Reach logical conclusions based on the evaluation of facts and conflicting information
• Establish rapport and effective working relationships with clients, some of whom may be emotional or uncooperative
• Conduct interviews in a non-confrontational manner
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Prepare concise reports and records
• Prioritize work and manage time effectively
• Exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in psychology, social work, marriage/family/child counseling, or other behavioral science closely related to marriage and family interpersonal relationships
• At least two (2) years of full-time, increasingly responsible, professional, post-graduate-degree counseling or psychotherapy experience in a setting related to the areas of responsibility of the court (e.g., dispute resolution, child protective services)
• Additional qualifying experience may be applied towards completion of one (1) year of the education requirement based upon a two-year Master's program, which included supervised field placement
• Possession of a Ph.D. in a directly related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required work experience