Get the right advice
Prepare questions for a family-law attorney and understand which decisions depend on your own orders and local court.
Navigating Your Custody Battle
Get ready for attorney meetings, an investigation and hearings, while keeping your child first. Includes a five-page preparation workbook.
- 11 modules
- 5-page workbook
- Completion certificate
General education, not a court-ordered parenting class.
Created by Suzanne Dircks
M.A., LMHC
- 44 years
- helping families through custody
- 1,000+
- Guardian ad Litem investigations
Prepare without putting your child in the middle.
The course moves from child-focused decisions and attorney conversations through investigations, court appearances, safety concerns, and support after the case.
Prepare without coaching
Learn what an investigator may do, organize your records, and let your child speak in their own words.
Stay a parent through the case
Plan for a hearing while keeping routines, safety, and your child's experience in view.
Questions to ask your attorney
Part One helps you prepare for a conversation with an attorney. These questions appear in the printable workbook, with room for your own notes.
Questions to ask an attorney
A small excerpt from Part One.
- How familiar are you with this court and its local procedures?
- Which tasks can I do myself to save billable hours?
- How should I send you documents and updates?
If a hearing or safety issue is urgent, seek legal help now; interviewing several attorneys should not delay it.
Eleven modules, from first questions to the hearing.
- 01
Understanding custody conflict and its impact on children
What a custody battle costs, how children experience it, and what your part is.
- 02
Keeping decisions child-focused
Why you are pursuing custody, and how to weigh your child's needs, the orders that apply, and advice about your situation.
- 03
Behaviors that damage trust
Knowingly false allegations, coaching, hostility, and public conduct: what damages trust with the court and the professionals involved.
- 04
Choosing an attorney
What to look for in a family-law attorney, how to interview candidates when time allows, and how to formalize the agreement.
See all 11 modules
- 05
Working with your attorney
Transparency, documentation, clear communication, realistic expectations, and taking care of yourself.
- 06
Understanding investigators and evaluators
Who investigates, what the appointment order says, how the process works, and your part in it.
- 07
Preparing for an investigation
What the investigator looks for, your records, interviews, the home visit, and sensitive topics.
- 08
Supporting your child through the process
Helping your child understand the process without coaching, keeping routines steady, and managing your own composure.
- 09
Preparing for court appearances
Hearings and trials, what to wear, nerves, testimony, and courtroom conduct. Ask your attorney what your hearing will decide.
- 10
Responding to abuse concerns
Getting help when a safety concern comes up. You do not need proof first. What to do if your child tells you something concerning.
- 11
Moving forward while protecting your child
What children carry from a custody dispute, and the boundaries, stability, and support that help them afterward.
What the course and certificate cover
Your certificate records completion of Navigating Your Custody Battle.
What it records
General education and preparation, not a court-ordered parenting class.
What it doesn't do
The course does not provide legal advice, child coaching or instructions for winning a case. It does not predict what a judge will decide.
Follow your own order
Procedures and the roles of court-appointed professionals vary by location and by order. Follow your orders and your own attorney's advice.
Sample certificate fields. Not valid for court use.
The preparation workbook
Questions for an attorney
Room for your notes.
Investigation preparation
Records, routines, interviews, and the home visit.
A court-day checklist
Five printable letter-size pages. A planning tool, not a legal form.
Support your child
Ways to support your child before, during, and after.
Each module has practical strategies, four private reflection scenarios and a five-question knowledge check. You can retry the checks as you learn.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a certificate?
A certificate of completion is included. This course provides general education, not legal advice, and is not represented as satisfying a court order. Check the requirements of your own order before enrolling for that purpose.
How long does it take?
The course is self-paced. There are eleven modules, each built from short reading sections, practical strategies, four private reflection scenarios, and a five-question knowledge check. Work at your own pace and return whenever you need.
What are the reflection exercises?
Private prompts for your own thinking. Nothing is submitted, saved, or reviewed, and you are never asked to enter details about your child, the other parent, or your case.
What is in the preparation workbook?
A five-page printable PDF: questions to ask an attorney, how to prepare for an investigation, a court-day checklist, and ways to support your child. It is a planning tool, not a legal form.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general education for parents in United States custody cases. The course tells you to follow every court order and to ask your own attorney about your situation, and to take medical questions to your own clinician.
Is my information private?
Your course account is private. There are no public profiles or social sharing features. We use service providers to operate the website, process payments, and deliver courses. Our privacy policy explains how information is handled.
Who wrote it?
Suzanne Dircks, M.A., LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor and former Guardian ad Litem with more than 1,000 investigations. The course draws on that experience to explain how to prepare, communicate clearly, and keep your child out of adult conflict.
Start tonight. Your progress saves as you go.
Start the course · $49.95Eleven modules and a preparation workbook for the conversations and choices ahead. One-time purchase · Completion certificate after requirements. No court-order promise.
