Summary - Collaborative Professionals of Washington 19th Annual Conference & Training

CPW Welcomes You To Our 19th Annual Conference!

Collaborative Professionals of Washington to host our 19th Annual Conference at the Marriott Tacoma Downtown March 12-14, 2026.

Our Mission: To connect Washington Collaborative Law groups and professionals, support their development and education, and promote the statewide growth and public acceptance of Collaborative Law.

Please join us for two and a half amazing days of learning, networking, and connecting to the Collaborative community! We are excited to welcome Collaborative practitioners from all over Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and beyond!

THURSDAY: Full Day with Lisa Herrick

Thursday’s Full Day of training will be an all-day interactive experience with Dr. Lisa Herrick.

CPW is an incredible organization dedicated to helping people during some of their most challenging times. We are honored to welcome Dr. Lisa Herrick, who will lead a transformative training "Turning Turmoil into Progress: Navigating the Toughest Emotions in Collaborative Divorce."

Divorce is uniquely disruptive, yet through a Collaborative approach, it holds the potential to be not just less harmful but truly transformative. This training invites you to embrace this vision and join us in ensuring our work continues to create meaningful change for families.

In her presentation "Turning Turmoil into Progress: Navigating the Toughest Emotions in Collaborative Divorce," Dr. Herrick will explore how divorce professionals can balance emotional attunement with forward momentum during highly charged moments. Participants will learn techniques to help clients make progress during difficult interactions and discover how to tap into their individual professional strengths to create highly effective collaborative teams. The session will provide advanced skills for staying grounded while guiding clients through the intersection of anguish, anxiety, and anger that characterizes the divorce process.

Join us Thursday for a deep dive into this critical work. Together, we can continue to grow, learn, and transform the lives of those we support.

More About Our Speaker

Dr. Lisa Herrick is a highly experienced clinical psychologist and a leader in the field of collaborative divorce and family therapy, with a private practice in Washington, D.C. and Falls Church, Virginia. With over 30 years of experience, she specializes in helping couples and families navigate the emotional challenges of separation, divorce, and relationship growth.

Dr. Herrick's extensive experience includes serving as a collaborative divorce coach and child specialist on hundreds of cases, helping families achieve successful resolutions. She is a founding principal of the Collaborative Practice Center of Greater Washington and a founding partner of the West Falls Psychotherapy Group. Additionally, she is an active trainer for professionals through the Collaborative Practice Training Institute and often serves as an expert witness in custody matters.

She is a respected author in her field, co-authoring the books Navigating Emotional Currents in Collaborative Divorce (ABA, 2011) and Mastering Crucial Moments in Separation and Divorce (ABA, 2017). Her approach focuses on providing ongoing support and practical guidance to help parents protect their children and foster effective communication during difficult transitions.

FRIDAY and SATURDAY: Annual Meeting and Conference

We’ve designed a stimulating and educational schedule for Friday and Saturday, please see the full agenda by clicking the agenda tab above. Your registration fee includes Thursday breakfast, Friday breakfast and dinner, Saturday breakfast, coffee/tea, and snack service throughout the Conference.

We are excited to have you join us and anticipate seeing you at the conference.

Thank you in advance for your continued support of CPW.

-Tim Peterson, CPW President 2026, and your CPW 2026 Board.

Dr. Herrick has been working with couples, families and individuals for over 35 years. She helps people build, repair, and strengthen intimate relationships, as well as helping couples sensitively navigate separation and divorce with a focus on protecting children. Dr. Herrick has co-authored, with Kate Scharff, LCSW, Navigating Emotional Currents in Collaborative Divorce (ABA 2011) and Mastering Crucial Moments in Separation and Divorce: A Guide for Multidisciplinary Team Practice (ABA 2017). Dr. Herrick currently works as a therapist, as well as a mediator, Collaborative divorce coach, and Collaborative child specialist. She trains Collaborative professionals and mediators throughout the country and often serves as an expert witness in custody cases to help inform the Court about the empirical research on children and divorce.

For this year’s conference, CPW sought to foster warmth, encouragement, and a shared sense of purpose, while also finding a way to channel that spirit outward into the broader community.

We are excited to partner with Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center, a Mason County nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. Founded in 2000, Turning Pointe provides emergency housing, advocacy, and prevention education, serving more than 5,000 men, women, and children every year. They also operate one of the largest domestic violence emergency shelters in the state. Their mission aligns deeply with the Collaborative community’s core values of compassion, empowerment, and strengthening families.

To support their vital work, we are hosting a conference-wide donation drive. We invite every attendee to purchase an item from Turning Pointe’s wish list and bring it to the conference. Your participation, big or small, will create and meaningful and positive change for the families they serve.

Thank you for helping us extend the spirit of CPW beyond our conference walls and into the community we share. please click the button below to see more information.