New Ways for Families® — Counselor Training Licensure
High-conflict family therapy training and licensure in the New Ways for Families® method — a structured clinical approach for helping parents in high-conflict separation keep the conflict small. For licensed counselors, therapists, and family law mental health professionals who want a court-recognized, defensible method for working with high-conflict co-parents.
Your instructor
Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.
Co-founder, High Conflict Institute
Upcoming live sessions
All dates U.S.-based · times in Pacific Time (PT)
- Open
September 8 & 10, 2026
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT · two live sessions
500,000+
professionals trained worldwide
Standard family therapy methods aren't built for high-conflict divorce.
When parents are locked in court battles, alienation, and protracted blame, traditional family therapy can stall — or unintentionally inflame — the conflict. New Ways for Families is a structured clinical method that teaches parents the same skills in the same order, sets clear expectations about what therapy can and can't fix, and gives the court a defensible parenting-skills program before major custody decisions. The method is used in family courts across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and is designed to save courts time, reduce parental expense, and protect children during family reorganization.
Outcomes you'll bring back from New Ways for Families® (Counselors).
- Deliver the New Ways for Families clinical method to high-conflict co-parents.
- Teach the 4 Big Skills™ to parents to help them make BIG decisions.
- Reduce parental conflict, contain it when it does occur, and avoid alienation.
- Help reduce refusal/resistance dynamics with children.
- Recognize and respond to potential family violence patterns.
- Document your work in ways that support court decisions about custody and parenting time.
- Apply structured individual-parent, parent-child, and co-parent session protocols.
- Protect your own clinical well-being while working with chronically high-conflict cases.
Who New Ways for Families® (Counselors) is built for.
Licensed Counselors & Therapists
LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCs, and psychologists working with families in high-conflict separation.
Family Law Mental Health Professionals
Custody evaluators, therapists doing court-ordered work, and reunification therapists.
Parenting Coordinators
Court-appointed PCs managing high-conflict custody situations.
Family Law Attorneys
Attorneys building a court-recognized parenting program into their client's case plan.
Court Program Staff
Family court program coordinators implementing structured parenting programs.
Agency Program Staff
Family service agencies delivering structured high-conflict family programs.
How New Ways for Families® (Counselors) is delivered.
Complete the 4-hour on-demand course on your schedule, then join the 8-hour livestream with Bill Eddy and your cohort — interactive role-play with real high-conflict family scenarios and direct feedback.
- 4 hours on-demand course — Self-directed online lessons covering the clinical method, completed before the live session.
- 8 hours live virtual training — Interactive Zoom training with Bill Eddy and your cohort, including role-play with high-conflict family scenarios.
- Provider licensure — Licensure to deliver the New Ways for Families® method in your clinical practice.
- Provider Network membership — Recurring Q&A sessions with Bill Eddy and other Network providers.
- HCI Provider List listing — Optional public listing as a licensed New Ways for Families counselor.
- Bonus: Pre-Mediation Coaching — 1-hour Pre-Mediation Coaching Training included.
- Bonus: Decision Skills — 1-hour Decision Skills Training included.
- Certificate of Completion — 12 hours documented for submission to licensing boards where applicable.
- Email support included — Direct access to HCI for follow-up questions (1–2 business day response).
Methods taught in New Ways for Families® (Counselors).
4 Big Skills™
The core skills you'll teach parents and children: Flexible Thinking, Managed Emotions, Moderate Behaviors, Checking Yourself.
Individual Parent Sessions
Structured one-on-one parent work using a workbook-based protocol.
Parent-Child Sessions
A clear protocol for clinical sessions with parent and child together.
Co-Parent Sessions
Structured sessions for co-parents working on decisions and communication.
Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.
Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute and pioneer of the High-Conflict Personality theory. Bill is a licensed clinical social worker, attorney, and Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center in San Diego, with over 40 years of experience as a clinician working with high-conflict families.
He developed New Ways for Families as a structured clinical method that family courts could adopt as a pre-decision parenting program — now in use in jurisdictions across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. He has trained mental health professionals, mediators, attorneys, and family court staff in 35 states and 13 countries.
Bill is the author of more than 25 books, including New Ways for Families, Don't Alienate the Kids!, Splitting, and It's All Your Fault! He is a faculty member at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University and the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia.
Trusted by professionals across industries.
Bill is a Lawyer, Family Mediator and international expert on managing disputes involving high-conflict personalities. His program is designed to help parents strengthen conflict resolution and co-parenting skills before making the 'Big Decisions' about transitioning through the divorce process — saving court time, saving parents time and money, and protecting children as the family re-organises in new ways.
New Ways for Families® (Counselors) — frequently asked questions.
Who is this course for?
What is the format?
When are the live sessions?
What is included?
What's the difference between licensure and certification?
Will I get continuing education credits?
Do you offer discounts?
Can my court program license this?
Ready to enroll?
Enroll an individual seat now, or talk to us about a private cohort designed around your organization's actual cases.
