Teachings and Trainings

University Teaching

Dr. Saposnek has taught on the Psychology Faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, for 41 years.

His courses have included:  

  • Childhood Psychopathology
  • Children and Divorce
  • Social and Emotional Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychology of Conflict and its Resolution
  • Socialization and Child-Rearing
  • The Ecology of Childhood
  • Paradox and Communication
  • Systems of Psychotherapy
  • Psychology of Exceptional Children
  • Autism
  • Practicum in Child Psychology
  • Field Work in Childhood Psychopathology
  • Field Placement Seminar: Children in Normal Settings
  • Field Placement Seminar: Children with Behavior Problems
  • Field Placement Seminar: Exceptional Children

He also is an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University School of Law’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, teaching courses in Family Law Mediation and Child Development, regularly since 2009.

Trainings for Divorce Professionals

As a national and international trainer in family mediation and child development, Dr. Saposnek has presented hundreds of workshops to judges, lawyers, mediators, and therapists, over the past four decades, throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Singapore.

Dr. Saposnek offers a variety of trainings and workshops for divorce professionals. Bringing over 43 years of mediation experience and mediation trainings, 17 years as Director of the Family Court Services in Santa Cruz County, CA, combined with over 49 years as a practicing Clinical-Child Psychologist and University Psychology Faculty, he offers the following trainings, in a number of formats. These include:

  • Half-day Workshop
  • Full-day Workshop
  • Two-day Workshop

These workshops are useful for private practitioners of both mediation and psychotherapy, court-related practitioners, family law attorneys, and family law judges. They are presented in a lively, entertaining, and engaging style.

 

SAMPLE OF PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

  • “Developmental Needs of Children of Divorce: Current Research in Temperament and Brain Research in Attachment and Attunement.”
  • “Developing Parenting Plans for Young Children.”
  • “Special Needs Children in Divorce, Mediation, and Evaluation.”
  • “Interviewing Children in Divorce.”
  • “Crafting and Drafting Developmentally-Sensitive Parenting Plans.”
  • “High-Conflict Divorce: Managing and Maneuvering Through Anger.”
  • “Child Custody Mediation Skills: A Strategic Approach.” (Basic Workshop–for New Mediators) (Advanced Workshop–for Experienced Mediators)
  • “25 Roles for Psychotherapists in Divorce Cases.”
  • “Advanced Issues for Mediators.”
  • “Understanding and Helping Children of Divorce.”
  • “Intervening with Children, Divorce, and Custody Issues: How to Reduce Your Risks as a Therapist.”
  • “Neurodiversity in Family Court: Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Parents.”
  • “Managing Parental Gatekeeping Behaviors.”
  • “What Mediators Can Learn From Social Science Research: New Perspectives on Anger and Conflict.”
  • “Domestic Violence and Mediation: Assessment and Management.”

Other specialized trainings and workshop topics can be developed to suit a particular group’s professional needs. For more information, contact Dr. Saposnek at: (831) 476-9225 or via the contact form.

Trainings for Parents

WORKSHOPS OFFERED TO SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC GROUPS

Dr. Saposnek also offers Parenting Workshops to schools and public groups:

“PARENTING SKILLS” (BASIC AND ADVANCED). These workshops are centered around the core concept of the child’s temperament and how to design parenting approaches that optimize goodness-of-fit with each of their children’s unique temperament styles.

With the high incidence of divorce, school districts often find the workshops on parenting skills, particularly the aspects that deal with children of divorce, especially useful for parent and teacher groups. Understanding what we have learned in the past 4 decades of research and clinical experiences about the special issues of children in divorce helps both parents and teachers to deal more effectively with these children and their families.

Special request workshops regarding timely child-related issues can also be designed.

For more information, contact Dr. Saposnek at: (831) 476-9225 or via the contact form.