About the Course:
Your client may be a survivor of family violence; or your client may have perpetrated family violence or may deny claims of family violence. This interdisciplinary session combines social science perspectives and legal perspectives on best practices for working with your client in any of these situations. Among the many topics covered in this session, we will review services and programs for survivors and for perpetrators – what works and does not work, and what is available in BC. We will discuss the diverse and fluid ways in which clients may present and act, the dangers of reaching conclusions about your client based on misconceptions, and how to have difficult conversations with your client. We will examine how counsel can contribute to reducing harm as well as the role of counsel in inadvertently causing further harm. Whether you act for a survivor or a perpetrator of family violence, this session will provide you with skills and knowledge to work effectively and ethically with your client.

About the Speakers:
Cléa Amundsen, Kitsilano Family Law
Cléa Amundsen received her BA (Hon.) from McGill in 2005 before obtaining her law degree and MA concurrently from University of Toronto in 2011. Her longstanding interest in international humanitarian law led her to legal reform work with the International Commission of Jurists in Nairobi, Kenya from August 2012 to March 2013. Cléa began working in family law upon her return to Vancouver, with a focus on lessening the impact that separation and divorce has on children. Her talents include mediation and French fluency, and she is a member of TLABC and is on the BC Family Unbundling Roster.

Gabrielle Clark, Rise Women's Legal Centre
Prior to joining Rise Women’s Legal Centre, Gabrielle Clark practiced family law for six years. She assisted clients at all levels of court in BC, tackling a wide range of complex legal issues, including cases involving family violence. She became well-acquainted with the family court system and the challenges that frequently meet women who interact with it.

Gabrielle has a JD from UVic, and holds a BA in women’s studies and BFA (Honours) in visual art from the University of Calgary. As a law student, she worked with West Coast LEAF on the Cyber Misogyny project, an initiative looking at legal responses to gendered harassment of women and girls online.

Dr. Shelly Dean, Centre for Response-Based Practice 
Shelly Dean, Ph.D., RCC is a therapist, consultant, and researcher with the Centre for Response-Based Practice.

Dr. Dean's experience includes working for victims of all ages who have experienced violence or other traumatic events, and for those who have chosen to use violence to harm others. She also works with other professionals doing clinical supervision, consulting in the area of Organizational Development or Program Evaluation. She has been actively involved in the ongoing development of working with children and youth from a Response-Based perspective, and understanding how young people respond to, and resist experiences of, violence and trauma.

Dr. Dean’s experience includes over 20 years of direct counselling experience with children, youth, couples and families, consulting with a wide range of organizations, teaching in universities, clinical supervision and organizational development in the social service sector.

Dr. Allan Wade, Centre for Response-Based Practice
Allan Wade, Ph.D. is a family therapist and researcher based in Duncan, BC. As a researcher, he is interested in the nature of violence and resistance, micro-analysis of face-to-face interaction (e.g., therapeutic interviews), and the connection between violence and language. Dr. Wade works closely with Linda Coates and Nick Todd, with whom he developed a Response-Based approach to working with victims and perpetrators of violence. He provides direct service to individuals and families where interpersonal violence is at issue, as well as training to police, lawyers, judges, psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, child protection teams, shelter and transition house teams, and administrators.

Dr. Wade is an internationally recognized expert on responses to interpersonal violence, broadly defined, and he teaches nationally and internationally on developing effective and dignified responses to interpersonal violence.

Costs:
TLABC Member: $99/Registrant
Non-Member: $199/Registrant
Bundle and SAVE - email TLABC or call 604-696-6521 to register for multiple sessions and save up to 40%!