Fortitude Counseling Supervised Visitation Program
Supportive Supervised Visitation
what is Supportive supervised visitation?
Fortitude Counseling Associates, PLLC, Supervised Visitation Program offers (On-Site)supportive supervised visitation and supervised exchange services to members of our community. The primary focus of supportive supervised visitation includes the protection and safety of the participants and includes active interventions that encourage consistent parent/child contacts that may lead to improving the parent/child relationship.
Our programs are designed to assure that a child can have safe contact with an absent parent without. The child's needs are priority in making any decisions regarding supervision of the visit or the exchange.
In some cases, a judge may determine that it is appropriate to order supervised visitation take place in the presence of a third party. It allows children to visit the non-custodial parent in a safe, neutral, positive, and stress-free environment. It also protects children from being placed in the middle of parent’s conflicts or other problems. The children’s needs are priority in making any decisions regarding the need for such supervision. There are also benefits to parents. It will provide consistency with a set schedule of dates and times. The scheduling and visits are made by a neutral third party, the (Visit Supervisor), and contact does not occur between the custodial and non-custodial participants before, during or after the visits. Everyone benefits from the comfortable environment.
Visit Supervisors will carefully observe the visit and document observations occuring during each visit. The responsibility of the visit supervisor is to remain neutral, neither siding with the custodial parent or visiting parent.
Why not use a friend or relative rather than a professional service?
At times courts will allow “non-professional” relatives or friends to provide the monitoring. Many times this does not work. Well-meaning friends or family will agree to provide the service; however, they soon tire of the regular commitment of time and effort. It is difficult for family or friends NOT to be placed in the middle and not choose sides. It places a tremendous burden on the relationship and creates unnecessary strife and stress. Once neutrality is lost, then the credibility of the friend or family member is damaged.
Benefits of hiring a professional company
Fortitude Counseling Associates Supervised Visitation Program provides highly trained supervisors that have completed courses in proper observation techniques and written reports.
We provide professional observations, legally written reports and will testify in court if necessary.Additionally:
- Fortitude Supervised Visitation Program holds a organization membership with the nationally-recognized Supervision Visitation Network.
- Visit Supervisors are skilled at the methodology of observation/reporting.
- Visit Supervisors must complete yearly training per SVN requirements.
- Visit Supervisors remain neutral at all times.
- Rules and regulations are in place to ensure the safety and well being of all participates.
- Visit Supervisors are educated towards maintaining a positive, safe, secure atmosphere with focus on the overall care of children.
- Visit Supervisors participate in a rigorous curriculum and must pass the “Evaluated Supervised Visitation Assessment” prior to assisting clients.
- Visit Supervisors are instructed in such topics as: Domestic Violence, Sex Abuse, Physical Abuse, Neglect and Emotional Abuse, Anger, Alcohol, and Stress management, Parental Alienation, and many more topics.
- Depending on the need of the clients, we have licensed clinicians available who will be able to supervise more in depth cases in areas such as domestic violenece and sex offenses. This service is clinically therapeutic and rates differ from supportive supervised visitation.
Safe Supervised Exchanges
What is a safe supervised exchange?
Supervised exchange is supervision of the transfer of a child from the custodial to the noncustodial parent at the start of the parent/child contact and back to the custodial parent at the end of the contact.
Safe Exchange Supervision is the transfer of the child(ren) from one parent to the other, limited to the actual transfer with the remainder of the visit unsupervised. Parents have no interaction with each other as the children are supervised from one parent to the other.
It works similar to that of our Supervised Visitation program and that the focus and goal is to make sure that the child or children are safe during the interaction.
A short intake questionnaire will be given to help our staff set up the most effective and nurturing way to safely make the exchange with the child(ren). We will coordinate with the custodial parent and visiting parent to help secure a schedule that works for everyone.