Cathy Himlin,
LMFT, LPCC 

Cathy Himlin, LMFT, LPCC, has more than thirty years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist and is also a licensed professional clinical counselor. She specializes in family law and dependency cases involving high-conflict families. Himlin serves on the San Diego Family Law Bar Association’s Mental Health Committee and is a member of CAMFT and the AAMFT. She has developed several child-centered trainings for family law attorneys, therapists, and parents. Himlin’s new book, The Rejected Parent: Rebuild Your Relationship with Your Child During a Divorce or Custody Dispute, will be published in the Spring of 2026. 

Return to conference speakers page

How to Work with High Conflict Families 

Friday | May 1, 2026
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm 
(1.5 CEs)

Description:

This workshop introduces mental health professionals to Attachment Family Therapy as a tool to help high-conflict families and addresses parent-child relationships. This training provides practical strategies to help parents transition from reactivity to emotional responsiveness, thereby repairing strained family relationships.    

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify at least three behavioral patterns commonly observed in court-involved families that may contribute to parent-child rejection. 
• Name the four stages of the court-involved family therapy model.  
• Identify the three key components of attunement that are used to support the parent who is estranged from their child. 
•  List two common fears expressed by parents in high-conflict custody cases.