Lisa M. Walker, Ph.D., LMFTA, CGE, Austin, Texas

Education

I earned a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin, and M.A and B.A degrees in psychology from Rhode Island College, Providence, Rhode Island.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, Certified Gottman Educator and Family Life Educator working with adolescents, individuals, couples and families.

My practice is divided between Therapy, Collaborative Consulting/Divorce Coaching, Parenting Coordination and Family Life Education.

I also currently lecture as an adjunct faculty in The Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, at The University of Texas at Austin.

Training

• Advanced clinical supervision and training at Capitol Area Mental Health Center in Austin
• Certified Gottman Educator
• Certified Parenting Coordinator
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Experience and training in Group Therapy
• Extensive experience in working with adolescents and college-age students
• Advanced training in Collaborative Divorce/Divorce Coaching
• Training and experience in Intimacy Counseling for couples
• Training and experience in Conflict Resolution/Mediation
• Research including published and/or presented work on Parental Repartnering after divorce, Adolescent Development, Adolescent Risk-taking and Adolescent Suicidal Behavior.

My practice does not file insurance for clients however I do provide statements which clients can file on their own. This allows me to focus fully on providing therapy, coaching, conducting workshops, and keeping up with the latest research in the field.

Treatment Specialties

Professional Affiliation

• Texas Association of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists
• American Association of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists
• Collaborative Law Society of Texas
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• National Council on Family Relations
• Texas Council on Family Relation
• Texas Counseling Association

Therapy Practice

Psychotherapy provided for adolescents (ages 10 to 18), individuals (18 and older), couples and families

Many life transitions can be challenging!

We live in a world of constant change. When change involves families—illness, birth, death, job loss, infidelity, recovery issues, school/career transitions, separation, divorce and remarriage—challenges can overwhelm any family, making it unstable. While change is good and transforming, for most people, without the necessary support it can easily become a crisis. I provide families with the assistance they need to reduce the likelihood of normal life transitions becoming crises.

I integrate a variety of treatment modalities including cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and interpersonal to help my clients feel more empowered and fulfilled and to develop skills to better manage life's many challenges. For couples I draw on Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and for families I draw on family systems therapy, strategic family therapy and structural family therapy.

My techniques include anger management, conflict resolution, relationship communication training, assertiveness training, and re-decision therapy, all of which aide in simplifying the complexities of relationships. As your therapist, my role is to be your guide as you explore the challenges in your life that keep you from meeting your full potential.

Collaborative Consultation/Divorce Coaching

Some marriages will end in divorce, but a divorce doesn’t have to devastate everyone involved.

Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law is a new and less adversarial approach to divorce where the husband, wife and both their attorneys agree to resolve all issues in their case without involving a court. They work together, in private, with a mental health professional and often a financial planner to find a way to meet each individual's needs so that the couple may make a smoother transition from being married to being single. The mental health professional functions as a coach to each individual and to the entire collaborative team to help them to communicate effectively and resolve issues. The overall goal is to arrive at a settlement that honors the divorcing couple and their children.

My role in the process is working as a neutral mental health professional as part of the collaborative team.  I utilize my skills to help the process itself work as efficiently as possible by attending all joint meetings to facilitate communication amongst all participants. Additionally, I help with emotions that can, and will arise, during the meetings that may hinder a peaceful resolution.  When there are children involved, I work with the parents to help them develop effective co-parenting skills. My role involves the use of skills that are therapeutic, but the work is not therapy.

Reasons for Using the Collaborative Process:

• Protect your children and your family’s interests
• Avoid airing your private issues in a public forum
• You can avoid lengthy, costly legal battles
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Receive expert assistance
• Receive long-term practical solutions
• Maintain your dignity and integrity
• Move on with your life

Collaboration allows people to engage in the constructive planning of their post-separation future, and to have their own input on the important questions such as: Who will raise the children? What sort of time will each parent have with the children? Where will the children go the school? How will their education be funded? Who will live in the family home? Or will it be sold? How will assets be divided? Who must pay support and how much will that be?

Although many cases settle before trial, a great deal of time, money and energy is spent on court applications and trial preparation. Collaboration, on the other hand, directs all resources at developing solutions, and problem solving, rather than strategic preparation for court. Experts are jointly engaged to determine the best approach instead of attempting to gain a tactical advantage for court.

Parenting Coordination

Parenting coordination is a problem-solving service offered to parents raising children between homes who seek professional assistance in working together to keep their children free from the parents’ conflicts. Parenting coordination is a child-centered dispute resolution service that assists parents in developing and implementing workable parenting plans when they are unable to do so on their own. The courts are appointing trained professionals to act as Parenting Coordinators. While Courts have been appointing therapists to help assist families for years, the Texas legislature has now created a new kind of role that is perfect for mental health professionals.

What is Parenting Coordination?

Parenting coordination is a new strategy designed to help separated, divorced, or unmarried parents cooperate on decisions affecting their children. These may include, but not limited to, common decisions such as the best schedule for the children to see each parent, which schools the children will attend, which parent takes the children to socials or after school activities, summer schedules, and religious decisions such as affiliation and observances. Parent coordination includes any decisions important to the children and their parents.

My role as a parenting coordinator is that of a neutral third party whose primary focus is to ensure that the children's best interests are being addressed. It is imperative that the children experience minimal parental conflict, the key component to long-term emotional problems.

While divorce itself places children at risk for various psychological difficulties, research has shown that the strongest predictor of child maladjustment after divorce is exposure to high levels of inter-parental conflict, particularly when the conflict is hostile, aggressive, poorly resolved, and focused on issues pertaining to the children. In approximately 10% to 15% of families of divorce, such conflict continues at a high level for several years following the formal divorce decree, and it typically causes the children and the parents to suffer significant and prolonged psychological distress.

Intense and prolonged inter-parental conflict can also cause problems for children indirectly. It can impair the ability of each parent to deal effectively with the children. It can draw the children into the conflict and disrupt the children’s relationships with one or both parents. In addition, it can lead to a reduction in financial support of the children by one or both parents, due to the financial costs of repeated litigation and one or both parents becoming less willing to contribute financially.

Parents who have been able to protect their children from divorce-related conflict may encounter problems when new situations arise—e.g., remarriage. As the parenting coordinator I enlighten parents concerning the importance of emotionally disengaging from one another in an effort to aid in the transition of their co-parenting relationship.

What are the most common issues addressed?

Parents bring numerous concerns to the Parenting Coordinator. The most frequently addressed issues are: visitation plans, trade offs or last minute changes, phone calls, toys and belongings, holidays, including extracurricular activities, household rules or boundaries, significant religious planning, medical and professional appointments, communication plans, school, visiting schedules for grandparents and other relatives, vacations, financial planning for the future, others and dating, and special needs considerations.

Who can benefit from Parenting Coordination?

I provide parenting coordination to separated, divorced, unmarried parents, grandparents, and blended families.

What are my tasks as Parenting Coordinator?

• I raise parents' skill level in collaborative planning and decision making for their children.
• Parents are educated on co-parenting techniques and issues related to children growing up between two homes.
• I identify sources of conflict between parents and work with them to consider ways to effectively address them.
• I facilitate effective communication between parents and between others who relate to the children – e.g., relative such as grandparents, school personnel, and therapists.
• Chronic litigation is reduced, which reduces stress and preserves family resources.
• I work with clients to mediate specific issues.
• Parents are assisted in complying with court orders.

I do this work by reviewing written evaluations and reports, and talking with other significant individuals involved with the family (doctors, therapists, school personnel, lawyers, etc.) I may meet with the parents individually or jointly, and communicate by telephone, fax and email. Home visits may be made if requested by the court. A parenting coordinator as defined by the law cannot testify in court or submit a report into evidence. The only form of communication that is allowed with the court is for a Parenting Coordinator to report if the process is succeeding and if it should continue.

What are the benefits of using a Parenting Coordinator?

Working with a Parenting Coordinator helps parents address disputes more quickly and efficiently. It avoids placing children in the middle of adult conflicts and therefore reduces a child’s exposure to conflict. It can also reduce time spent arguing and avoid costly court hearings. Parenting coordination allows decisions to be made by parents, instead of by the court.

Who pays for the Parenting Coordinator?

Appointment of the Parent Coordinator is usually court ordered, however other sources of referrals are attorneys, therapists, clergy or self-referral. Appointments are up to two hours in length and usually start out weekly and then, as agreements are met, continue on an as needed basis.  Parents customarily share the cost of the Parenting Coordinator fees equally unless a Court orders otherwise. 

A retainer is required in order for work to begin.

Other Services Provided

Workshops/Family Life Education

           Transition to Parenthood/Bringing Baby Home

           Conflict Resolution

           Divorce Care

           Remarriage and Step-parenting