Friday, September 25, 2026
9:00AM - 12:00PM

Remote Open to all NYACP members

This training session follows an actual case scenario and includes live role-play demonstrations with Jay Mota and Melissa Goodstein covering:

Understanding Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence through a systemic lens

• Interviewing and ongoing screening of clients

• Understanding the most effective team configurations for different circumstances

Developing guardrails to promote safety for client families and protection from liability for professionals

  Developing the most ethical practices in this challenging area

• Productive team briefings that lead to safe team meetings

• Promoting overall more potentially successful outcomes for families 

• Understanding the connection between this training and the UCLA

Whether you're actively working toward your Seal or want to strengthen how your team manages DV-related matters, this training offers practical, scenario-based guidance you can apply immediately in your practice.

Ready to start your path to the Seal of Advanced Training, and want  to register for the September 25th DV training, look out for registration information.

CEUs will be provided for MHPs

Meet Our Speakers:

Christen Ritchey

Christen Ritchey is a founding partner of Johnson Ritchey Family Law, a firm dedicated to guiding clients through family law matters with compassion and expertise. She is particularly passionate about mediation and the Collaborative Process, striving to achieve the best possible outcomes for families. Christen is the Past President of the South Palm Beach Collaborative Law Group, also known as Choose Collaborative, and is an active member of the Collaborative Family Law Institute. Since 2017, she has been a dedicated member of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association (SPBCBA) and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Family Law Section.

Beyond her legal practice, Christen is deeply involved in the Boca Raton community. She serves as President of the Women’s Executive Club of Boca Raton and sits on the Board of the Peter Blum Family YMCA. Previously, Christen served on the City of Boca Raton’s Planning & Zoning Committee and Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.

A proud Boca Raton resident since 1986, her commitment to community service has earned her nominations for the Women of Distinction Award by Soroptimist in 2019 and the Woman Volunteer of the Year Award by the Junior League of Boca Raton in 2022. Christen is also a member of Leadership Boca’s Class of 2024, and her firm, Johnson Ritchey Family Law, is a proud trustee of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, she has served on committees supporting Advent Lutheran School, the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, and the Golden Bell Education Foundation.

Christen earned her Juris Doctor degree with honors from the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 2005.

Robert J. Merlin

ROBERT J. MERLIN, ESQ. is a partner in the Law Offices of Robert J. Merlin, P.A. in Coral Gables, Florida specializing in Marital and Family Law, especially Collaborative Family Law. Bob is Florida Bar Board Certified in Marital and Family Law, is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator and has been practicing law in the State of Florida for more than 47 years. He is a member of The Florida Bar, American Bar Association, Dade County Bar, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Collaborative Family Law Institute, Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida and the South Palm Beach County Collaborative Law Group, the last five organizations being dedicated to the promotion of the practice of Collaborative Family Law as a means of amicably dissolving marriages and resolving family disputes. Bob has been on the Board of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals since its creation in 2010 and is now an Emeritus Member of the FACP Board. He is a Past President of that organization, and he was on the Board of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals for 6 years.
Bob is an Adjunct Professor Collaborative Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and he lectures on the Collaborative Process to various organizations of lawyers and other professionals. He meets the standards of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals as a Qualified Collaborative Trainer. He is a past President of the Collaborative Family Law Institute, he is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and is a Past President of its Florida chapter. He worked extensively to pass and adopt the Uniform Collaborative Law Act and Rules in Florida. Bob graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1978, where he also was an associate editor of the Law Review. He also attended Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, the Institute of Law Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland and the Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Bob received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration focusing on accounting. Bob received the 2006 Dade County Bar Pro Bono Outstanding Law Firm Award and the 1998 Florida Eleventh Judicial Circuit Ray H. Pearson Guardian-Ad-Litem Award. He is listed in the Leading Florida Attorneys in Family Law with the Network of Leading American Attorneys, is among the Florida Super Lawyers and the Florida Trend Magazine Florida Legal Elite, he is AV rated with Martindale-Hubbell and he is listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Preeminent Family Law Attorneys.
Bob has a long history of involvement in various community organizations. He received the 2008 Gator Award from the University of Florida Hillel, he is a Past Chair of Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Inc., he was on the Board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation for more than 25 years dn he is rejoining the Board this year. He is the 2012 recipient of the Stu Webb Distinguished Service Award in Recognition of Exceptional Leadership and Devoted Service to the Collaborative Family Law Institute.

Randy Heller

Dr. Randy Heller holds a doctorate in Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University, where her dissertation examined the mental health professional's role in Collaborative Divorce. She is licensed in Florida, New York, and Connecticut, and holds credentials as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, Qualified Parenting Coordinator, Reunification Specialist, and Certified Hypnotherapist. Since 1994, she has served as Founder and Clinical Director of The Family Network, a Collaborative Counseling Center. In her clinical practice, Dr. Heller specializes in the full continuum of services for divorcing and restructuring families, including discernment therapy for couples weighing the decision to divorce, reunification therapy for resist and refuse cases, co-parenting therapy, and parenting coordination. This depth of practice across the divorce process informs her work as a collaborative mental health professional and mediator. A longtime leader in the collaborative community, Dr. Heller served over 15 years on the FACP Board — including as Vice President and Past President of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida — and currently serves on the boards of NYACP and IACP. After graduation from Nova Southeastern University, Randy created and continues to teach a graduate-level course in Collaborative Divorce, now in its fourteenth year, and developed a Veterans Collaborative Pro Bono Clinic through the same program. She is a national trainer and presenter on peaceful conflict resolution and has authored multiple publications on systemic theory, as well how it related to the mental health professional's role in ADR, including a recent co-authored article in The Family Law Section's Commentator drawing on data from a ten-year study she co-chaired in Florida, exploring  professional and client dynamics and emerging outcomes in Collaborative Practice.

Earning the Seal of Advanced Training: What NYACP Members Need to Know 

Accredited Collaborative Professionals represent the most experienced practitioners in New York State's Collaborative community. The Seal of Advanced Training is NYACP's way of recognizing those professionals — and giving colleagues and clients a clear signal that you've gone above and beyond the introductory level.

If you're an attorney, licensed mental health professional, or financial professional who is collaboratively trained, this credential is open to you. Here's what it takes to earn it, and a training opportunity that can help you get there.

Why Pursue the Seal? 

The Seal recognizes practitioners who have met the standards set by the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals — standards that call for training well beyond the introductory level, multi-case experience, and adherence to IACP Ethical Standards. NYACP's goal is to see every Collaborative Professional in New York credentialed under these standards, and professionals who earn the accreditation are encouraged to display it as a mark of their expertise.

The Requirements 

To earn the Seal of Advanced Training, applicants must complete:

• A minimum of 3 hours in Domestic Violence (DV) training

• An additional 15 hours of Collaborative training, completed over a period of two years

Discipline-specific standards apply for each of the three professional tracks (attorney, mental health, and financial), and standards may differ for neutrals on certain topics. A full breakdown of the standards for each discipline is available in the accompanying materials.

How to Apply 

The application process follows four straightforward steps:

1. Ensure your licensing is up to date

2. Complete all required trainings and advanced education

3. Secure references and documentation of completed matters

4. Complete the application and submit payment

NYACP encourages members to start the process early in their Collaborative career — it only gets easier the sooner you begin tracking your hours and cases.

Once submitted, your application is reviewed confidentially. NYACP's administrator first verifies completion and requests the required references before forwarding your application to the Advanced Training Committee. If anything is missing, you'll be contacted by email. The Committee may approve the application, request additional documentation, or deny it — and after the Committee acts, approved names are forwarded to the Board of Directors. The Committee notifies each candidate directly once a decision is made.

Already Have DV Credit? Here's Good News

Many members recently attended the AI and Cyberstalking program presented on June 11th — and that training counts toward your DV credit requirement. Even better, it can also be applied toward your general advanced training credits, giving you flexibility as you work toward the full 18-hour requirement.

Building on That: DV/IPV and the Collaborative Process: The What, When, and How...

If you want to go deeper into how to effectively and safely manage a Collaborative matter where domestic violence has been alleged or is present, mark your calendar for NYACP's upcoming training