Healthier Families Produce Competent, Emotionally Resilient Children

Children of separated parents do best when both their parents stay very involved in their lives, raise them in a positive, balanced, authoritative manner, and make decisions about them with minimal conflict and bitterness toward each other.

Healthier Family Functioning Includes:

Effective Problem Solving

Verbal Communication

Role Functioning

Emotional Responsiveness

Emotional Involvement

Behavior Control

Positive and complimentary parenting skills necessary for effective and healthy co-parenting can be learned by any motivated parent. Research consistently indicates that children of separated parents display better long-term adjustment when their parents: 

Acquire awareness about the impact of their conflict on their children

Practice using calm and child-centered language

Practice keeping perspective, thinking flexibly and considering each other's concerns when frustrated 

Practice positive parenting and behavior control skills.

Essential Qualities to Healthy Co-Parenting:

Flexible thinking and problem-solving about the causes and solutions to typical problems, and positive assumptions about the other parent’s intentions

Clear, direct, Business-like, Informative, Polite and Solution-focused (BIPS) verbal and e-mail communication

Parents consistently manage their separate households and also their shared responsibilities, i.e., schedules, exchanges, communication, and they respect boundaries

Calm interest and responsiveness to each other’s concerns

Realistic acceptance that, despite previous dreams and disappointments, children can be successfully raised in two homes

Unfortunately, unsuccessful co-parents too often confuse venting with problem-solving. They assume the worst and go into fight, flight or freeze modes.

If you desire to improve the communication and overall functioning of your relationship with your former spouse and/or parent of your child(ren), then contact Stephanie. You and your co-parent will receive education and guidance in a supportive environment. You will attend 8 weeks of goal-oriented, private, educational sessions for a flat rate fee.