Co-Parenting Therapy

Co-parenting can be really tough. When you’re in a relationship and decide to break up, the kids are usually what keeps you together. However, as time goes on, it is hard to make sure that this family dynamic and relationship continues working for the children as well as both parents.

I offer support to families with children who have decided to live separately–either temporarily or permanently. I work with both parents individually before we meet them together, so they know how our sessions will go and feel comfortable talking about any issues they have.

Co-parenting is a huge responsibility. You want to make sure that you are taking care of your children but also making sure you have time for yourself and your partner. As a family starts to raise questions about separation or divorce, it can bring up many questions about how co-parenting works and what that will look like.

There are many ways that you can co-parent, depending on your family. Co-parenting therapy can be court-ordered but it doesn’t have to be.  My job isn’t to impose my ideas of what co-parenting looks like but rather to help the family develop a plan that works to their unique needs and what is best for the kids.

My goal is to help the parents maintain a healthy relationship with each other, which in turn helps them have a positive relationship with their children. This is all about the kids, and we want to keep them top priority. 

Parental separation can be one of the most difficult times in a family’s life. It often brings up feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, and confusion for parents and children alike. Co-parenting therapy helps families work through these changes together with an experienced therapist who models healthy communication skills to help everyone have a voice that is heard.

I can help by working on communication between co-parents to clarify expectations and boundaries about which kids live where (and for how long), what school district or schools each child will attend if applicable, what rules should be in place at each home around sleepovers, friends coming over during shared weekends or holidays versus just being allowed to visit “whenever”.

Making sure that all these decisions have buy-in from both parents helps create an environment where everyone feels included in the process.

In a nutshell, I am there to help the parents work together as allies in parenting and share responsibility equally. A commitment to co-parenting is a decision that, like many other decisions within this process of divorce, should be well thought out and carefully considered before making. It’s important for parents to remember that the most successful co-parentings often happen with two people committed to working together as one team in regards to their children.