Family court can feel like its own foreign country, complete with unfamiliar rules, strange terminology, high-conflict travelers, and attorneys who sometimes speak in paragraphs when one sentence would do. This workshop is designed to help mental health professionals better understand the family law system without needing a law degree, a decoder ring, or a black robe. Learn which laws complicate your job, which miracles the courts expect you to perform, and what family lawyers actually do all day. This practical and engaging session will explain the family court concepts mental health professionals most often encounter in their work with court-involved families. Participants will learn the basics of legal custody, physical custody, and parent-time; how court orders are created and modified; how a case moves from the initial filing to the final decree; and how mental health professionals can help ensure that the process works to the best interests of the families involved. The workshop will also provide a plain-English overview of basic civil procedure and evidentiary rules - and why they matter.