CP Cal is looking for dynamic and cutting-edge programming and presenters for CP Cal Celebration XVIII in Redondo Beach, April 26-28, 2024. We are planning for an in-person Celebration. We will do our best to adapt as needed. Submit your proposal or nominate a colleague to present at Celebration XVIII.

Deadline for submitting proposals extended to October  1, 2023!

In anticipation of another outstanding Celebration, the Program Committee is accepting Workshop and Pre-Celebration Institute proposals earlier than in years past. We encourage tracks for all levels of practitioners through a combination of 90-minute and 3-hour workshops, as well as 6-hour Pre-Celebration Institutes and three 60–90-minute plenaries. Workshops that offer educational opportunities for our statewide multidisciplinary membership (mental health professionals, financial specialists, and lawyers) are strongly encouraged.

Continuing Education

Continuing education (“CE”) is available to financial, mental health, and legal professionals. To qualify for CE, all presenters who are selected must provide the necessary materials by email no later than November 30, 2023.

The materials for legal and financial presentations must include:

• Timed agenda
• Presenter biographies/CVs
• Substantive written materials, including syllabi and handouts that are made available to attendees before, during, or after the activity, a copy of any PowerPoint or other visual presentation, reference citing source material and/or legal authorities discussed during the program (for example, a bibliography), and like information
• For programs addressing professional ethics, the amount of time dedicated to ethics and the rules and/or statutes discussed (California State Bar rules, Business and Professions code sections, and the like)
• For programs addressing substance abuse, elimination of bias and/or implicit bias, the amount of time dedicated to each topic

The materials for psychologists and other mental health presentations must include:

•  The CVs of all presenters
•  A course description
•  A timed outline (including the length of any breaks offered)
• At least three learning objectives for programs that are up to 3 hours in  length, and 4-6 learning objectives for programs up to a full day in length
• A summary of the main points for each topic of the course; including the time allotted for each topic

A list of citations or references to demonstrate that the curriculum is evidenced based. Current academic citations/references must be provided to demonstrate the knowledge base(s) being utilized.  The foundation of citations/references must be provided to demonstrate the knowledge base(s) being utilized as the foundation of the training.  At least two of the citations/references should be current (i.e., within the last five years).

Questions regarding CE? Please contact the Program Committee at cpcalcelebration@gmail.com.

Celebration Programs

Our commitment is providing programming with a broad range of topics and formats appropriate for different skill levels. We welcome programs stimulating discussions and debate of challenging topics.

Program experience level classification is based on the following:

• Novice: completed 1-10 Collaborative cases
• Intermediate: completed 11 or more Collaborative cases
• Advanced: completed 20 or more Collaborative cases with an emphasis on programs that will stimulate discussion and debate of challenging topics
• All: general education/skill building for all levels of experience

Please note the following presentation/workshop offerings that attendees from our 2023 Celebration found to be valuable:

• Financial workshops
• Panels
• Workshops on communication skills
• Presentation sessions that included role play for collaborative cases

Presentation submissions may include, without limitation, the topic ideas noted below:

• Expanding our Horizons
  o   Working with/within the courts
  o   Divorce Options and expanding education within the community
  o   Increasing the diversity of professional team members
•  Business development/marketing your Collaborative Practice, including:
  o   Information/education/training on practice development
  o   Marketing
  o   Video blogging, social media strategies
• Skills Development
  o   Parenting plans
  o   Child and spousal support
  o   Working with high conflict couples
  o   Diversity and culture in family law and estate planning
  o   Advanced training for mental health practitioners
  o   Advanced financial workshops, QDROs, tax, equity incentives

• Trust and Estate
  o   Cross-over with premarital agreements
  o   Cross-over with divorce
  o   Children requiring longer-term care/service
  o   Blended families

Presenter Instructions: Please fill out the Proposal Submission Form.

For 90-minute and 3-hour workshops, up to three presenters will each receive a $100 honorarium in the form of a registration discount. No presenter will receive more than one $100 registration discount. Honoraria for plenaries and pre-celebration institutes are modest and negotiable.

Deadline for submitting proposals is September 15, 2023

The Planning Committee does not guarantee consideration of proposals that are incomplete or submitted after the deadline.

CP Cal does not guarantee acceptance of any program. However, if a program is accepted for presentation at CP Cal Celebration XVIII, all required materials MUST be submitted by November 30, 2023. Failure to comply with this deadline may result in your program’s removal from the Celebration schedule. By submitting your proposal, you are confirming that you can comply with all of the above requirements.

CP Cal Celebration XVIII Proposal FAQs:

When will I be notified whether my proposal has been accepted? The Program Committee will have a full month, from the submission deadline, to review and evaluate all proposals. The Program Committee will then make final selections. We will notify all those who submitted a proposal by mid-October 2023. We ask presenters to sign and return their Presenter Agreement within fourteen (14) days of notification. Your signature will confirm your commitment to present on the day and time indicated on the agreement.

Will you be able to accommodate my request to present on a certain day and time?

We will certainly take requests for specific days/times into consideration. In order to balance the program offerings over the course of the weekend, however, we cannot guarantee that all such requests can be accommodated.

Pre-Celebration Institutes are offered on Friday from 9am to 3pm with a one-hour break for lunch. Workshops are offered Saturday from 9am to 4pm with a one-hour break for lunch and Sunday from 9am until noon.

How do I know if my program qualifies for Continuing Education (CE)?Licensing bodies have become stricter over the years as it relates to CE. For questions related to CE for mental health professionals, please contact Sharon Clark at Clarkpeace123@gmail.com; for CE for financial professionals, please contact Hal Bartholomew at Hal@DivorceWithRespect.com and Theresag@DivorceWithRespect.com; for CE for lawyers, please contact Diana Martinez at DianaM@DLMartinezLaw.com. Note special requirements below:

Mental Health Professionals. When the requirements are met to approve CE credits for Psychologists then the program is also approved for CE credit for other mental health professionals under the Board of Behavioral Science, such as LMFTs and LCSWs. Programs whose content focuses on non-traditional or emerging practice or theory must be able to directly bridge course content to criteria. Programs must include:

• Content related to well-established psychological principles which includes, without limitation, established research as demonstrated by the involvement of the broader psychological practice, education, and science communities in studying or applying the findings, procedures, practices, or theoretical concepts; peer reviewed, published support beyond those publications and other types of communications devoted primarily to the promotion of the approach
• Information that extends current theory, methods or research, or informs current practice
• Content related to ethical, legal, statutory or regulatory guidelines and standards that impact psychology

Mental health professional presenters must make the following disclosures:

• Inform attendees of the accuracy and utility of the materials presented, the limitations of the content being taught, and any known risks associated with the content.

Clearly disclose any commercial support for and/or known biases of the CE program, presentation, or instructor to program attendees at the time the CE program begins. Any other relationship that could be reasonably construed as a conflict of interest must also be disclosed at the beginning of the presentation.

The following requirements regarding course content must be met. The content shall be relevant to the practice of marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, professional clinical counseling, and/or educational psychology and meet the requirements set forth in California Business and Professions Code sections 4980.54, 4989.34, 4996.22, and 4999.76. Self-improvement courses, courses designed for non-practitioners, and courses created exclusively for the benefit of psychotherapists’ and/or psychotherapists’ businesses are not acceptable courses for CE credit.

The content of the course shall:

• Be relevant to the profession’s scope of practice
• Be supported by evidence-based practice
• Be consistent with the profession’s current standards of care
• Be consistent with the profession’s ethical, legal, statutory, and regulatory standards; and
• Do one or both of the following:
  o   Demonstrate credibility through support from mental health practices, current educational standards, and current research; or
  o   Be directly related to the profession’s ethical, legal, statutory, or regulatory standards.

Programs qualifying for mental health CEs must be related to the profession of psychotherapy or the scope of practice of psychotherapists. Any training, education and coursework by approved providers shall incorporate one or more of the following:

• Aspects of the discipline that are fundamental to the understanding of the practice of psychotherapy; or
• Aspects of the discipline in which significant recent developments have occurred; or
• Aspects of other disciplines that enhance the understanding of the practice of psychotherapy; and
• Be related to the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of the client population being served.

The course must relate back to the client in some way. Consider:

• Does the course improve the experience of the client?
• Does the course improve the relationship between the therapist and the client?
• Does the course contribute to the overall safety of the client?
• Is the course for the sake of consumer protection?

Legal Professionals. Programs qualifying for CEs for Legal Professionals may include:

• Substantive content such as child and spousal support, parenting plans, tax implications of divorce, and the like
• Activities relating to effectively managing a law practice or office, such as case management, calendaring, malpractice avoidance, ethical communications and attorney-client relationship, ethical management of office financial affairs, including trust funds

To allow for CE credit for the following specific topics, identify the time spent on each such topic and the specific Rule of Professional Conduct to which each pertains. For example, time spent discussing a lawyer’s obligation to maintain client confidence in a Collaborative case setting may relate to Rule 1.6 and qualify for Legal Ethics units. A discussion of Collaborative Team Dynamics addressing substance abuse by a legal team member may qualify as for substance abuse credit.

• Legal Ethics: Focuses on the lawyer’s professional responsibility, not society in general or in business or government. For example, activities that educate attorneys on the state’s Rules of Professional Conduct (browser search for “California legal ethics”) are eligible for legal ethics credit, while programs focusing on ethical dilemmas encountered in society, business, or a non-legal profession do not.
• Recognition and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and Society: Includes education in the recognition and elimination of impermissible bias in the courtroom, law office, attorney-client relationships and relationships with other attorneys, legal and non-legal employment, the workplace, hiring, managing, and terminating employees and in housing, accommodations, and service. Courses addressing sexual harassment awareness and prevention training for personnel managers may be approved for elimination of bias credit.
• Substance Abuse, Mental or Physical Issues that Impair Professional Competence: Education that identifies and discusses the detection of substance abuse, mental illness, or other mental or physical issue that impairs an attorney’s ability to perform legal service with competence. Courses that discuss or provide treatment for any of the mental, emotional, or physical issues that affect professional competence do not qualify for credit in this area. This includes programs primarily about alcohol and drug treatment, meditation, or other forms of stress management.

Financial Professionals. Programs qualifying for CEs for Financial Professionals may include:

• Professional conduct and regulation
• General principles of financial planning
• Education planning
• Risk management and insurance planning
• Investment planning
• Tax planning
• Retirement savings and income planning
• Estate planning

I would like to include a PowerPoint presentation, but I don’t own a projector. Will you provide one?
CP Cal does not provide projectors or laptops. If you have a presentation that requires a projector and laptop, we recommend contacting your practice group or a colleague to determine if there is equipment available to borrow. We can also connect you with the hotel’s audio-visual partner for rental information. Please be aware, however, that such rentals may be costly.

What else should I know about requesting AV equipment for my presentation? We will provide a projection screen as made available by the hotel. If you intend to show a video during your presentation, please be sure to indicate that on your proposal form so we can arrange for any necessary sound equipment. Hand-held, wired microphones may also be provided for workshop presentations depending on the room size and final number of attendees. Final AV needs will be confirmed one month prior to the Celebration. Additions or changes made onsite may result in fees for which the presenter(s) will be responsible.

Do I have to register for the Celebration if I am a presenter? In order to attend plenary sessions, meals, workshops, or social events, you must be a registered attendee. Presenters receive a discounted registration rate and are encouraged to register before the Early Bird deadline in order to take advantage of the additional discount available.