Beyond the Label: Understanding Personality Science in a Family Law Context
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 12 Noon – 1:30 PM
Presenters: Dr. Sauer-Zavala, Dr. Karey L O’Hara
In conflictual family court cases, terms like “narcissist” or “borderline” are often used—by parents, attorneys, and even professionals—to describe co-parents. But what do these labels actually mean? Are they accurate? And most importantly, do they help?
This webinar explores the frequent use (and misuse) of personality disorder terminology in family law contexts. We’ll begin with a foundation in personality science, distinguishing between clinical diagnoses, subclinical traits, and everyday personality differences. Then, we’ll examine how labeling—while often emotionally gratifying—can reinforce conflict and obstruct progress in relationships, especially co-parenting relationships. Finally, we’ll offer strategies for moving beyond labels toward more constructive and evidence-informed approaches to understanding and responding to challenging behavior in these contexts.
Whether you’re a legal professional, mental health provider, or involved parent, this conversation will offer practical tools and insights for navigating co-parent conflict dynamics with greater clarity and compassion.
Learning Objectives:
1. Differentiate between clinical personality disorders, subclinical traits, and normative personality variation.
2. Identify common pitfalls and unintended consequences of labeling co-parents with personality disorder diagnoses.
3. Explain why diagnostic labels rarely lead to constructive behavior change in high-conflict co-parenting relationships.
4. Apply alternative frameworks and strategies to respond more effectively to difficult coparent dynamics in family law settings.
PRESENTERS
Shannon Sauer-Zavala, Ph.D. co-founded the Clinic for Emotional Health (CEH) with the mission to improve the lives of people with mental health difficulties by expanding access to evidence-based treatment, training future treatment providers, and conducting cutting edge clinical research. Dr. Sauer-Zavala is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience providing cognitive-behavioral interventions. She is also the co-developer of the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, a well-known and effective cognitive-behavioral intervention for anxiety, depressive, and related disorders.
In addition to her role at CEH, Dr. Sauer-Zavala is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky (UK). Dr. Sauer-Zavala received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UK in 2011; she completed her predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University. Her research has been supported by NIMH, NIAAA, Templeton Foundation, the Center for Implementation and Improvement Sciences, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Dr. Sauer-Zavala has co-authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, and three books.
Karey O’Hara, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology, completed a clinical internship at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the REACH Institute at ASU that was funded by the National Institutes of Health-funded T32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award. Her research lies at the intersection of family law, prevention science and child mental health. In particular, she studies risk and resilience factors associated with children’s adjustment following parental divorce, with an emphasis on informing family court policy and improving interventions to promote the well-being of court-involved families. She has also conducted research in the areas of interparental conflict, intimate partner abuse and family violence.
Dr. O’Hara is the current Vice-President of the Arizona Chapter AFCC Board of Directors.