Custody

Family reunification therapy is a process meant to fix or stabilize a relationship between a parent and a child that has been damaged or destroyed. A judge may order this type of therapy in a custody or divorce case to try to reestablish a family bond that is the subject of the court case.¹ Family reunification therapy can refer to treatments, programs, or services that include but are not limited to:

• camps;
• workshops;
• therapeutic vacations; or
• educational programs.²

The judge cannot order any type of family reunification therapy that requires or results in any of the following:

• a no-contact order;
• a visit that is:
  
  • overnight:
  • out-of-state; or
  • multiple days;
• a transfer of the child’s physical or legal custody;
• private transportation or transportation agents who use:
  
  • force or the threat of force;
  • physical obstruction;
  • acutely distressing situations; or
  • anything that risks the safety of the child; or
• anything else that relies on:
  
  • threats of physical force;
  • undue coercion;
  • verbal abuse;
  • isolation from the child’s family, community, or other sources of support; or
  • any other acutely distressing circumstances.²

¹ American Bar Association, Reunification: What Is It, What Is It Not, and What Does It Involve?
² N.H. Rev. Stat. § 461-A:4(III)