What Happens at CCRC in Riverside and San Bernardino County?

(Child Custody Recommending Counseling in California Family Court)

After nearly three decades practicing family law in Riverside and San Bernardino County, one thing becomes very clear very quickly: many parents dramatically underestimate how important CCRC is to the outcome of their custody case.

In Riverside and San Bernardino County, CCRC is not simply a procedural step you complete before going to court. In many cases, the recommendation coming out of CCRC becomes one of the most influential pieces of information before the judge. Quite honestly, there are situations where the recommendation carries more practical weight than the hearing itself.

That is one of the reasons we spend a substantial amount of time preparing our clients for CCRC before they ever walk into the session.

Riverside and San Bernardino are recommending counties. That means if parents are unable to resolve custody and visitation disputes during mediation, the counselor may provide recommendations directly to the judge regarding parenting time, legal custody, and related issues. That is very different from counties such as Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, where mediation is generally non-recommending.

Many parents do not fully understand that distinction until they are already deep into the process.

CCRC stands for Child Custody Recommending Counseling. Under California law, parents are generally required to participate in mediation before the court makes custody and visitation orders when the parties cannot agree. The purpose of CCRC is not therapy and it is not emotional counseling. The purpose is to assist the court in determining what arrangement is in the child’s best interest and which parent appears more capable of supporting the child’s long-term relationship with the other parent.

In Riverside and San Bernardino County, the counselors are generally mental health professionals with master’s level education and specialized training in family dynamics, custody disputes, child development, domestic violence, and high-conflict co-parenting. Many are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists or Licensed Clinical Social Workers who have spent years dealing with difficult custody litigation.

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is assuming they simply need to convince the counselor that the other parent is a bad person. In reality, that approach often backfires badly.

After years handling these cases, it becomes obvious that counselors are frequently paying very close attention to which parent appears:

• more reasonable,
• more flexible,
• more emotionally regulated,
• and more likely to support the child’s relationship with the other parent moving forward.

A parent may walk into CCRC believing the entire session should focus on the other parent’s flaws, the other parent’s significant other, who they are dating, or generalized complaints that may have very little relevance to the actual custody issues before the court. Most of the time, those issues simply do not carry the kind of weight litigants think they do unless there is actual evidence showing detriment to the child, safety concerns, substance abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or serious parenting problems.

That is one of the reasons we spend substantial time preparing clients for mediation and CCRC. Preparation is not simply about discussing facts. It is about helping clients understand how counselors think, what issues matter, how communication affects credibility, and what recommendations are realistically possible based upon the facts of the case.

We also prepare clients for difficult questions, possible outcomes, and the structure of the session itself. Many parents walk into mediation emotionally reactive and completely unprepared for how quickly credibility and communication style can affect the recommendation.

Like many areas of family law, credibility becomes enormously important during CCRC. Counselors often review court filings, prior orders, communication patterns, text messages, parenting history, and the overall dynamics between the parties. Over time, experienced counselors become highly skilled at identifying exaggeration, manipulation, impression management, and situations where the parties are more focused on attacking each other than helping the child.

Parents who remain calm, child-focused, organized, and solution-oriented generally perform substantially better during the process than parents who appear rigid, hostile, or entirely consumed with conflict.

Another reality many parents do not realize is that children may be interviewed during the process. Because Riverside and San Bernardino are recommending counties, counselors may independently speak with children depending on the child’s age, maturity, emotional condition, and the nature of the dispute. In some cases, children may also be interviewed by 730 evaluators, Family Code section 3111 evaluators, therapists, or other professionals involved in the case.

That does not mean the child “gets to decide” custody. Particularly with younger children, courts understand that children can be heavily influenced by parental conflict, loyalty dynamics, or emotional pressure. The focus is often not simply what the child is saying, but why the child is saying it and whether the statements are reliable in the larger context of the case.

One thing that becomes very clear after handling custody litigation for years is that judges and counselors are constantly evaluating which parent is reducing conflict, which parent is escalating conflict, and which parent appears more capable of placing the child’s emotional needs above the litigation itself.

CCRC often becomes one of the first opportunities for the court system to directly observe those dynamics.

For many parents, the recommendation coming out of CCRC becomes one of the defining moments in the custody case.

Contact the Law Offices of Edgar & Dow

Preparation for CCRC can significantly affect the outcome of a custody case in Riverside and San Bernardino County.

If you are dealing with contested custody litigation, restrictive gatekeeping allegations, visitation disputes, or high-conflict co-parenting issues, it is important to understand how these sessions actually work and how counselors evaluate family dynamics, communication, and credibility.

The Law Offices of Edgar & Dow bring years—and decades—of experience handling custody disputes and CCRC proceedings throughout Riverside and San Bernardino County.

Contact our office to schedule a consultation and discuss your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is CCRC in California family court?

CCRC stands for Child Custody Recommending Counseling. In Riverside and San Bernardino County, parents are generally required to participate in CCRC before the court makes custody and visitation orders when the parties cannot agree. Because these are recommending counties, the counselor may provide recommendations directly to the judge regarding custody and parenting time.

Are Riverside and San Bernardino recommending counties?

Yes. Riverside and San Bernardino County are recommending counties, which means the counselor may make custody and visitation recommendations directly to the judge if the parents are unable to reach an agreement during mediation. This is very different from counties such as Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, where mediation is generally non-recommending.

Does the judge follow the CCRC recommendation?

In many cases, judges give substantial weight to the CCRC recommendation, particularly where there is limited contrary evidence presented. While the recommendation is not automatically binding, it often becomes one of the most influential pieces of information before the court.

Is CCRC therapy or marriage counseling?

No. CCRC is not therapy and it is not designed to repair the parents’ relationship. The purpose of the process is to assist the court in resolving custody and visitation disputes and developing parenting arrangements that are in the child’s best interest.

Can children be interviewed during CCRC?

Yes. Depending on the child’s age, maturity, emotional condition, and the nature of the dispute, counselors may independently interview children during the process. In high-conflict cases, children may also be interviewed by evaluators, therapists, or other professionals involved in the custody litigation.

What are counselors looking for during CCRC?

Counselors are often evaluating credibility, communication, emotional regulation, co-parenting ability, and which parent appears more likely to support the child’s relationship with the other parent. In many cases, counselors are paying very close attention to which parent appears reasonable, flexible, child-focused, and capable of reducing conflict moving forward.

What mistakes do parents commonly make during CCRC?

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is spending the entire session focused on attacking the other parent or discussing issues that may have little relevance to the court’s actual custody analysis. Many parents become emotionally reactive and fail to understand that counselors are often evaluating communication style, reasonableness, and co-parenting dynamics just as much as the underlying facts of the dispute.

Why is preparation for CCRC important?

Preparation matters because the recommendation coming out of CCRC can significantly affect the outcome of the custody case. Parents who understand the process, remain calm, communicate effectively, and stay focused on the child’s best interest generally perform much better during mediation than parents who appear hostile, inflexible, or consumed by conflict.