Tools for San Diego Minor's Counsel, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the San Diego families you work with, whether you serve as a minor's counsel, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

Custody cases in San Diego move through the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, Family Law, and many of the parents in them handle at least part of the case without a lawyer. For minor's counsel, family therapists, and mediators, that usually means sorting fact from feeling before any real work can start. This page shows what the parents you work with can use on FamilyCourtHelp.com to come to you organized.

Area covered: San Diego County.

Court for custody cases: Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, Family Law.

Appointed for the child: Minor's counsel.

Custody mediation: Usually required in custody disputes (Family Court Services).

Parenting coordinators: Appointed by court order.

Parenting class: Depends on the county or judge.

State family law: California Family Code.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For minor's counsel in San Diego

In California, the court can appoint a minor's counsel in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

The parents decide what you see. One of them can add you to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link, and once you accept with a free account you can read the thread, post in it, and follow schedule requests on the shared calendar. A shared parenting plan opens to you for reading and comments.

The invitation a parent sends is labeled Guardian ad Litem, the title most states use. It works the same if you serve as a minor's counsel in San Diego.

For therapists and counselors in San Diego

For court-involved therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in San Diego, the site stays on the parents' side of the line: there is no therapist seat and no access to a family's account. What it changes is what walks into the room. Parents write to each other in one time-stamped thread, and the Tone Meter in the free messenger offers a calmer version of a message before it goes out.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in San Diego

In California, custody mediation is usually required when parents disagree about custody. The court program is Family Court Services. Courts can appoint a parenting coordinator by order. The details are in the FAQ below.

A parent can invite you into the co-parent conversation with a single-use link and share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on, so you see the draft and the open issues before the first session in San Diego. Between sessions, agreements stay in writing in the one thread, and schedule changes go through the shared calendar as requests the other parent approves or declines.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs in San Diego

Custody cases in San Diego are heard in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, Family Law. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

E-filing is optional in family law for attorneys and self-represented litigants.

Family Court Services (child custody recommending counseling): San Diego is a recommending county. Parents meet with a Family Court Counselor before the custody hearing. If they do not agree, the counselor makes a recommendation to the court. Parents view an orientation video before the session.

Family Law Facilitator's Office: Court self-help office for parents without a lawyer, at the Central Courthouse in downtown San Diego.

If you searched for a minor's counsel, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in San Diego, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in San Diego: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

San Diego: San Diego County Self-Help Center (Hall of Justice), (858) 634-1919. Courthouse self-help center for family court forms. San Diego runs several more branch centers countywide.

San Diego legal aid: Legal Aid Society of San Diego, (877) 534-2524.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in San Diego?

Family law cases in San Diego County, including custody and divorce, are heard by the San Diego Superior Court. The central family law courthouse is in downtown San Diego.

Where can parents in San Diego get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: San Diego County Self-Help Center (Hall of Justice). Free legal aid: Legal Aid Society of San Diego. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in San Diego?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a minor's counsel do in a San Diego custody case?

In a custody or parenting time case, the judge can appoint a private attorney to represent the child. These attorneys are usually called minor's counsel. They gather and present evidence about the child's best interests and, if the child wants, tell the court what the child wishes. You may also see "attorney for the child" and "court-appointed counsel for the child". The rule is in Family Code 3150; Cal. Rules of Court, rules 5.240 to 5.242. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in California?

When parents disagree about custody or visitation, the court must send them to a Family Court Services session before the hearing. Each county uses one of two models. In a recommending county, the counselor writes a recommendation for the judge if parents do not agree. In a non-recommending county, the mediation stays confidential and only an agreement goes to the judge.

Does California use parenting coordinators?

California has no statewide parenting coordinator statute. Some county courts appoint a parenting coordinator when both parents agree in a signed stipulation, using a local court form. How it works differs from county to county.

Do parents in California have to take a parenting class?

There is no single statewide parenting class. Many county courts require an orientation before the custody mediation session. Los Angeles asks parents to complete the Our Children First orientation, and San Diego shows an orientation video before the counseling session.