Overcoming Barriers:
Bringing Families Together at Common Ground Center

The 2009 program was a success and happened from Monday, July 20th to Saturday, July 25th. Information about the 2010 program will appear here at a later date.

Overcoming Barriers Family Camp is designed to help children and families where one or more children are in danger of losing a relationship (or have lost a relationship) with one of his/her parents.

The psycho-educational part of this family camp will help both parents see the value of the other in the child’s life as well as help children become more free to feel and show connection to both parents. Families will learn how to repair ruptured relationships in a safe and healthy environment nestled in a beautiful valley in Starksboro, Vermont.

In addition to traditional camp activities like yoga, arts and crafts, hiking, and campfires, families will participate in specially designed Children and Adult Programs each morning.

In 2008 families from across the US and Canada participated in the pilot program:

• Every child had contact with an estranged parent
• The majority of participants rated their experience a 5 on a 5 point scale
• All but 1 family left with a mutually agreed on after care plan
• Both parents in each family, some of whom had not spoken outside of the courtroom in years, met together successfully at least once

This camp with its relaxing camp activities and skilled, supportive staff who understand the complexities of these relationships provides a unique opportunity to create new beginnings and new memories for families.

THE CLINICAL TEAM

Peggie Ward, PhD, is a psychologist and Co-Founder of the Co-Parenting Assessment Center in Natick, MA. She previously held an appointment at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ward helped develop GAL Standards in MA and serves as Co-Chair or the MA Parenting Plan Committee. She lectures on topics including alienation, parenting coordination and advanced issues in GAL work. Dr. Ward practices as a therapist, consultant, family systems evaluator, and parent coordinator and is a member of the AFCC MA Board of Directors.

Matt Sullivan, PhD, has written articles, presented and done trainings at numerous national and international venues on topics such as high-conflict divorce, Parenting Coordination ,child alienation and mental health consultation in family law cases. He has served on tthe Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Task Force on Parenting Coordination and the American Psychological and American Bar Association working group on legal and psychological interventions with children and families.

Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, is a psychologist and the Director of Forensic Services of the Children and the Law Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She practices as a therapist, consultant, custody evaluator, mediator and parent coordinator. She is the current president of AFCC and the co-author of 7 Things Your Teenager Can’t Tell You (and How to Talk About Them Anyway).

CO-FOUNDERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Peggie Ward, Phd—President
• Sheara F. Friend, Esq of Friend and Reinhardt—Treasurer
• Robin Deutsch, Phd—Secretary
• Matt Sullivan, Phd

The Overcoming Barriers website is www.overcomingbarriers.org

Questions:
For more information on fees, applications and the approval process, please contact Sheara Friend at 978-264-6666/sfriend@friendreinhardt.com or Carole Blane at 802-881-8278/carole@cgcvt.org

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