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2019.11.01 2019 Basic Collaborative Interdisciplinary Training
Friday, November 01, 2019, 8:30 AM to Monday, November 04, 2019, 5:00 PM EDT
Category: Events

2019 Basic Collaborative Interdisciplinary Training (BCIT)

Three (3) Day Training on
Friday, November 1, 2019
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Monday, November 4, 2019*

*Please note: There is no training on Sunday, November 3rd, 2019

Cambria Hotel White Plains - Downtown
250 Main Street, White Plains, NY 10601

Trainers: Lauren Behrman, Ph.D., Lili A. Vasileff CFP, CDFA, MAFF, Deborah Wayne, Esq., and Steven M. Kaplan, CPA/ABV

Program Fee:
Early Bird Registration until 10/20/2019: $  975.00
Regular Registration after 10/20/2019:  $1,125.00

Register Here for the 2019 BCIT

The Collaborative Divorce process continues to experience a huge growth of matrimonial cases resolved.  More and more these days, clients are calling our offices for information about a process that can assist them in their divorce without damaging everything that is most important to them. If you are interested in being trained in transforming how people resolve conflict, save this date to join us at the Cambria Hotel in White Plains on November 1, 2, and 4, 2019.

The NYACP hosted "Meet and Greet" events this summer in New York City, Westchester and Long Island to introduce Collaborative Divorce and the BCIT to Law, Finance and Mental Health professionals. If you are interested in providing an alternative to traditional divorce, one that minimizes the time, expense and hostility that are so often a part of divorce, please contact the NYACP Office to arrange an opportunity to speak with one of our Board members or trainers.


Rather than resorting to court intervention to resolve disputes, Collaborative Divorce allows couples to work with a team, which includes their respective attorneys as well as coaches, a child specialist and a financial neutral, to help serve the needs of all family members. This three-day intensive training provides a sound foundation to interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce theory, practice, and skills development as well as ethics and practice development considerations. Participants learn how to work within a multidisciplinary team and how the Collaborative Divorce process integrates the roles and functions of all team members to best assist families reach in their process of restructuring. This program is open to mental health and financial professionals as well as attorneys.


What Makes a collaborative case different than any other case?

Most cases settle – what makes settlement in the collaborative model different?
How do we help the parties arrive at a settlement that considers the whole family?
In this training, you will learn how to take a collaborative case from the initial consultation to final resolution in a highly interactive way, through demonstration, role play, lecture and multi-media presentations.

You will learn about:

• The underlaying principles that define the collaborative model and shift the negotiation.
• The role of each professional in the collaborative case: 

  • The Collaborative Attorney
  • The Family Specialist (mental health professional)
  • The Financial Neutral Professional
  • The Child Specialist

• How bringing neutrality to the table enhances the negotiation
• Beginning a collaborative case:

  • The initial phone call
  • The first consultation

• Information gathering – how it is different yet comprehensive
• Materials used in the model
• Developing options and scenarios for settlement
• Working through impasse

What’s in it for you?

For Attorneys:
• Work as a problem solver not a warrior
• Less accounts receivable
• Less acrimony
• Have the support of colleagues who are specialists to deal with finances, children and managing emotions

For Mental Health Professionals:
Help families transition with respect

For Financial Professionals:
Use your skills to maximize the benefit to the family


Questions for Discussion:

  • What does settlement mean in the collaborative model?  How is it different from other processes such as mediation or a court based model? 
  • How can the model be used to address entrenched positions during settlement negotiations? 
  • What can be done when a monkey wrench is thrown into the negotiations? 
  • How are financial options developed when there is an imbalance of knowledge? 
  • What options are available to address mismatched client expectations about dividing assets or parenting? 
  • How do financial and mental health professionals add value to the process?

Education Credits:

  • Continuing Education Credits for Mental Health Professionals are pending.
  • NYS Continuing Legal Education Credits will be provided. This program is suitable for newly admitted and experienced attorneys. Reduction in fee is available based on economic need. Reduction in fee is available based on economic need. If you have special needs, please contact: [email protected]


There is no cancellation available after September 30, 2019. This training meets the interdisciplinary Collaborative training requirement for NYACP membership.

Register Here for the 2019 BCIT
PDF BCIT Event Flyer