Overcoming Barriers

We are still accepting applications and have space available for the High-Conflict Divorce Camp June 29-July 3, 2012.

Please contact us or have a Family Court representative contact us to begin the intake process.  The process of getting all family members enrolled in camp can take time and each situation is unique.  We work with family members and Family Court professionals to help move the process along.

We have added some information about family characteristics, camp staff and the intake process on the High-Conflict Divorce Camp page.

Contact us with questions at California@overcomingbarriers.org

How to Apply

*Admission to camp will require the agreement of both parents or a court order.

If you are interested in this program on behalf of your family please ask professionals working on your case to look into the program.  Neutrality on the part of Overcoming Barriers is a key component of all our programming and the intake process needs to assure that neutrality.  Most families require a court order to attend the camp. We have the following documents available on this page so that the family and support network can approach the Court before contacting Overcoming Barriers if necessary.

• Declaration by Clinical Program Director Dr. Matt Sullivan describing the camp (contact us by email for a notarized copy) – DOWNLOAD PDF
• Sample court order to attend camp (this is a very general example of a court order and will need to be tailored to the specifics of each family) - DOWNLOAD DOC
• Application to attend camp (please read all materials on this page thoroughly before sending in application) - DOWNLOAD PDF
• Application agreement - DOWNLOAD PDF
• Overcoming Barriers’ program brochure for 2012 - Brochure2012

Now accepting applications

Overcoming Barriers (OCB) will conduct the High Conflict Divorce Camp June 29-July 3, 2012, in Sonoma County, CA. We expect six to eight families to participate in this, our first program on the West Coast.

The High Conflict Divorce Camp is one of three child centered programs developed by OCB for families in conflict. We have developed a weekend program called Forging Families’ Futures and a 12-week program of parent education called Repairing Disrupted Family Relationships. They are running on the East Coast this year.

OCB programming is unique in its duration, intensity and dedication to the idea that children do better when they have a safe and healthy relationship with both parents. Detailed information about CA Camp and East Coast programs, including how to apply, can be found on their program pages.  We recently posted the following documents on theHigh Conflict Divorce Camp page and hope they will be helpful for court professionals with referrals.

• Declaration by Clinical Program Director Dr. Matt Sullivan describing the camp
• Sample court order to attend camp
• Application for camp and informed consent for application
• 2012 Program Brochure
• (We will be posting a sample motion soon)

OCB continues to look for ways to improve with the goal of increasing access to our programs for families in conflict. Intake and implementation of programming is very labor and resource intensive and is therefore also expensive. OCB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please consider making a donation to support our efforts to bring down cost for families. Donate online or by mail, info on the Support OCB page.

Thank you for you interest in our programs.

Overcoming Barriers worked through the Summer developing programming and administration. We have filed for our federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status and are now accepting tax deductible donations (see Support OCB page). We hope to raise enough seed money to meet our program delivery goals and we will be hosting programs in the Spring/Summer, 2012, according to demand and available resources.

Commissioner Marjorie Slabach is the most recent addition to the Overcoming Barriers’ Board of Directors. We feel privileged and excited to have her share her fourteen years of Family Court judicial experience and her commitment to children and families. During her tenure in the Superior Court of San Francisco, Commissioner Slabach was a highly regarded judicial officer, receiving numerous awards from family law organizations. She now serves as a private judge and is an active member in the family law community. Sherrol Cassedy, a long time family lawyer and mediator in Palo Alto, also joined the Overcoming Barriers’ Board of Directors this Fall. Ms. Cassedy will lend her immense talents and thirty years experience in family law to the organization as we expand into California. Both Commissioner Slabach and Ms. Cassedy are very welcome additions and will be instrumental in shaping the organization as we continue to grow. Learn more about our Board of Directors and find links to their home pages here.

Please join our email list to receive program updates and announcements.

Do your part to support Overcoming Barriers.  Learn how to make your tax deductible donation to California or Massachusetts programming here.

Peggie Ward, Matt Sullivan and Robin Deutsch are pleased to announce that we are expanding opportunities for families where a child has rejected a parent.  We will spend this Summer developing a range of programming including psycho-educational workshops, weekend interventions and camps on both the east and west coasts.

As you know we have run the Overcoming Barriers Camp at Common Ground Center in Starksboro, Vermont for three years.  In many ways it has been an extraordinarily successful program.  Some of the children have developed a meaningful relationship with both of their parents after up to two years without contact with one parent.  We have found that structured judicial and clinical follow up after camp is a crucial element and one that none of the families can be without.  We have also found that without funding from other sources, families cannot afford the cost of the camp.   The families we worked with taught us a lot about their wide ranging needs.

With that information and the three years of experience of Overcoming Barriers Family Camp we have decided to devote our energy and the lessons we have learned from the families and staff at Common Ground Center to expand our services.  While there will be no camp offerings this Summer our future plans include a camp in California, developing family workshops and videos, refining the weekend intervention, and providing services to families earlier in the legal process.

These families need our support.  Overcoming Barriers is on the cutting edge of new interventions and ways to help the serious issues that high conflict shared custody situations can present.  We want to thank you for your support to date and let you know that we will be back to you with our expanded programming options.