The Texas Association of Family Forensics (TAFF) is a group of licensed independent mental-health professionals comprised of psychologists, social workers, and counselors.  The group members primarily assist families and their children during and after litigation, including working through pre/post-separation stressors.

TAFF members provide Continuing Educational Units (CEUs).

A process in which a court-appointed mental health expert evaluates a family and makes a recommendation to the court regarding custody matters, typically including residential custody, visitation, and a parenting plan that is in the best interests of the child(ren).

Collaborative law, also known as collaborative practice, divorce, or family law, is a legal process enabling couples who have decided to separate and/or end their marriage to work with their attorneys, and on occasion, other family professionals in order to avoid the uncertain outcome of court and to achieve a settlement that best meets the specific needs of both parties and their children without the underlying threat of litigation.

The process allows parties to have a fair settlement.  The voluntary process is initiated when the couple signs a contract (a "participation agreement") binding each other to the process and disqualifying their respective attorney's right to represent either one in any future family-related litigation.

Legal Custody:  A parent with legal custody can make decisions about the child's schooling, religious upbringing, and medical care, for example.  In many states, courts regularly award joint legal custody, which means that the decision making is shared by both parents.

Physical Custody: Children live with parents who have physical custody. 

Sole Custody: One parent has both physical and legal custody of the child.  The other parent may have visitation rights, but does not have any custodial rights, and cannot make decisions affecting the child.

Counseling meant to be a catalyst for change, for an individual and/or family who, is at any time, involved in the legal system and subsequently ordered by a judge or magistrate to participate in counseling with a mental health professional.

Mediation is a dynamic, structured, interactive process where a neutral third party assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques.  All participants in mediation are encouraged to actively participate in the process.  Mediation is a "party-centered" process in that it is focused primarily upon the needs, rights, and interests of the parties. 

The mediator uses a wide variety of techniques to guide the process in a constructive direction and to help the parties find their optimal solution.  A mediator is facilitative in that she/he manages the interaction between parties and facilitates open communication.  Mediation is also evaluative in that the mediator analyzes issues and relevant norms ("reality-testing"), while refraining from providing prescriptive advice to the parties (e.g., "You should do... .").

Parental alienation is the process, and the result, of psychological manipulation of a child into showing unwarranted fear, disrespect, and/or hostility towards a parent and/or other family members.  It is a distinctive form of psychological abuse and family violence, towards both the child and the rejected family members, that occurs almost exclusively in association with family separation or divorce, particularly where legal action is involved.