2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Mark your calendar and join us in Costa Mesa February 7-9, 2025 for the AFCC California Annual Conference.

This year’s theme is The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow:  Creative Solutions to Reduce Conflict in Families and Build a Brighter Future for Children.

Think back to the year of 2015. Then, consider the change and turmoil we have experienced as a society since that year. Political discord and conflict boiled over into the events which occurred on January 6, 2021. Racial inequality was brought center stage after the death of George Floyd. Same-sex marriages were recognized and abortions were banned. We have lived through a pandemic, continue to experience economic uncertainty, and questions loom about the future of our environment and ever increasing global tensions. The practice of family law has long challenged members of the judiciary, attorneys, and mental health professionals to creatively deal with an ever growing list of issues. Increasingly, the complexity of those issues has challenged us to cast off simplistic ideas and definitions. What is considered to be domestic violence has been broadened to include acts such as coercive control. The basis of parent-child contact problems have been broadened from a singular cause to the recognition of a more plausible multivariate explanation. That’s the good news. However, polarized opinions about issues including those listed above and others such as gender identity and transition, as well as the definition of what constitutes “a family,” may be exacerbated by misinformation spread on social media and the internet. That makes discussions between professionals as to how to best serve children and adults who have been traumatized and are in need of peace all the more difficult.

Fast forward to 2025. Let’s assemble to focus on solutions to problems rather than our differences in defining them. Join us as we take the emotion out of the discussion and think about what will reduce conflict and resolve issues for family members. We can work together to find a point of convergence that builds a better and more peaceful future for children!

With those goals in mind, the panels, presentations, and plenaries of the 2025 AFCC California Chapter Conference will address the theme:  The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow:  Creative Solutions to Reduce Conflict in Families and Build a Brighter Future for Children and will focus on:

1. Cutting edge and creative solutions to the increasingly difficult times in which we practice.
2. Opportunities for engagement and partnerships with other professionals (e.g., police, physicians, clergy) who are the first to be involved with domestic abuse, a deteriorating adult relationship, or inappropriate parental practices.
3. Examining alternative interventions and therapies for issues ranging from resist-refusal issues to mental health issues to unique and challenging treatment of alcohol, drug and other addictions to dealing with the epidemic of domestic violence and other conditions which impact the ability to parent children.
4. Engaging conference participants in the exchange of ideas and practices.
5. Developing practices to protect professionals from burnout

“AFCC California continues to seek to add new voices to our exceptional panels and is looking to create a culture of mentorship not only in the field but at the annual conference by inviting seasoned presenters to pair with less experienced ones. We also invite professionals representing traditionally under-represented populations (e.g. people of color, LGBTQ+ people) and those outside of family law to submit proposals.  AFCC-CA further seeks to broaden AFCC-CA’s reach into underserved communities and invites presenters to add content that is focused on racial, ethnic, gender, LGBTQ+, and socio-economic diversity.”

This interdisciplinary dialogue will take place at AFCC California’s Annual Conference February 7-9, 2025, to be held in Costa Mesa, California.