Lux Psychology

Financial abuse is one of the most pervasive forms of domestic violence, and it often plays out through the legal process in family law files. It can look like delayed disclosure, disproportionate parenting resources, or the manipulation of support obligations. However, these are not just financial disputes, they’re forms of control. I welcome you to read my latest blog here.

https://www.luxpsychology.ca/post/financial-abuse-is-domestic-violence-and-it-s-widespread-in-family-law-files

Excited to share a major milestone! I am now fully certified in Litigation and Evaluation involving Abuse Allegations in Family Court Cases (LEFCC) through the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma (IVAT), making me the second person in Canada to achieve this designation alongside my colleague, Glenda Lux.

This advanced certification equips me with specialized expertise to assess abuse allegations in high-conflict family law cases. Through over 30 hours of training, I gained skills in areas critical to these cases, such as evaluating credibility in abuse allegations, understanding coercive control and its impact on parenting, using the BWJP SaFer Assessment Model, addressing ethics and bias in assessment, and evidence-based evaluation in cases involving both abuse and alienation concerns.

A heartfelt thank you to IVAT and the experts leading this program. I’m honoured to bring this enhanced skill set to support families in Alberta, helping ensure safe and fair outcomes in family court.

In family reunification therapy, the safety and well-being of children must come first. Therapists have a responsibility to carefully assess whether they can responsibly fulfill the mandate of a court order while ensuring no harm is done.
In my latest blog, I explore how we can uphold this responsibility in the context of reunification therapy.

https://www.luxpsychology.ca/post/reunification-therapy-do-therapists-have-a-responsibility-beyond-the-order

I just finished a multi-session training program from Western University: Working with Fathers Who Cause Harm to their Families. This program was excellent.

One of the many challenges in working with this population is engaging and creating safety without colluding with abusive narratives. It can be tricky. It is not always easy to lead with empathy when working with someone who has created fear and suffering and fails (or refuses) to recognize it. A court order for treatment might keep them in the room, but it takes the ability to create genuine engagement if you want to get them on the couch.

In this work, there is a place for patience and a place to roll with resistance, but at all times, there must be the ability to recognize levels of risk, deescalate aggressiveness, and respond when risk persists or increases.

While the goal for treatment is a decrease in abusive behavior, at the center of this work is the safety and well-being of children and their primary caregivers, even if dad doesn’t change. For me, that makes all the difference.

April marks Child Abuse Prevention Month. I’ve turned my thoughts to the important yet often unrecognized link between IPV and child abuse and its relevance within family law. I invite you to read my blog here.

https://www.luxpsychology.ca/post/child-abuse-and-intimate-partner-violence-understanding-the-connection-in-family-law-matters