When a Party’s Mental Health Is Under Attack: Resources to Help

presented by Dan Berstein

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00 -10:30 AM Pacific)

Non-Member Registration

About the Webinar

During family court and family mediation cases, parties and practitioners often accuse one another of having mental health problems. What can mediators do to address problems, prevent bias, and support people facing these kinds of attacks? Join Dan Berstein, a mediator living with bipolar disorder and the co-author of the forthcoming Family Court Review article, “The Uses and Abuses of Psychodiagnostic Terms in Family Court Cases: Beyond Labels to the Humanity Beneath.” He will share tools which mediators and other practitioners can use to: 1) respond to allegations of unfitness based on speculated or known mental health situations; 2) address innuendo or colloquial mental illness accusations; 3) navigate mental-health-based reasonable accommodations requests in empowering, non-stigmatizing ways; 4) appropriately address risks and problems by focusing on behaviors, instead of mental health labels; 5) support parties taking responsibility for challenging behaviors while invoking a mental health situation (and treatment) as an ameliorative factor; and 6) build good will by displaying maturity, sensitivity, and compassion for parties who have mental health needs. All attendees will receive takeaway tools.

About the Presenter

Dan Berstein

Dan Berstein is an expert in mental health communication and conflict resolution, having led trainings for mediators in over a dozen states through his company, MH Mediate. He has been a trainer with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a facilitator at the Mood Disorder Support Group of NY, and a speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Dan holds a master’s in Mental Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health as well as a bachelor’s from the Wharton School. He is public with his bipolar disorder as part of The Stability Network’s efforts to combat workplace mental health stigma.

Time and Place

Tuesday, July 08, 2025
12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00-10:30 AM Pacific)

Cost

Free for APFM Members, $50 for Non-Members.

More Information about the Webinar

Only APFM members and paid attendees will receive an email with instructions on how to log into the webinar, to be held using the services of zoom.us. If you are uncertain about the status of your APFM membership, log into the APFM website to check it. Help logging in is available here: https://apfmnet.org/website-help/.

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Confirmed APFM members and paid registrants will be sent information on how to login to the webinar. Additional confirmed participants will be sent login information after registration and prior to the webinar. For webinar access questions, please contact [email protected]. Please note that it may not be possible to provide immediate assistance on the day of the webinar.