top of page
Child Specialist Divorce Coach
What Child Specialist Coaching in Divorce Offers

  • Parenting support for difficult situations, such as telling the children about divorce

  • learning about the basic process and skills to transition from spouses to coparents 

  • Support for productive parenting discussions, even about difficult issues and differences

  • Skills and strategies to increase children's healthy coping from divorce to living in two homes

  • Information about how development may influence your children's adjustment to divorce

  • A neutral, appropriate way to hear what your children are experiencing

  • Consulting & mediating discussions regarding your residential parenting plan (If in Collaborative DivorceI do not offer, as parenting plan mediation is the role of the Divorce Coach)*

​

My goal as a Child Specialist is to offer neutral support for children's healthy relationships with both parents and family relationships as a whole. Many parents feel anxious about inviting a professional into their parenting discussions, either feeling concern with being evaluated or not wanting another voice in their parenting conversations. Some parents believe it is an unnecessary addition to an already overwhelming process and have confidence in their parenting and future coparenting relationship. While I believe great parents have lots of parenting expertise, they often don't have any experience with divorce and working together can help get great parents moving forward with confidence and vision. For those who are anxious know, I believe parents are the best decision makers for their family and I do not evaluate parents and I do not make decisions for parents. Instead I strive to educate, support and encourage positive problem solving and reduce unproductive conflict. 

​

Child Specialist services is a straightforward 1. 2. 3. step process. It consists of:

  1. Meeting(s) with both parents in my office to hear their concerns, goals and to offer helpful approaches to parenting/coparenting in divorce that reduce children's stress and promote coping. 

  2. Meeting with individually with child(ren) in my office to gather information on how they are managing the changes- basically "what's helping and what's hurting". 

  3. Meeting again with parents to disclose the information shared and develop strategies to meet children's needs while making important decisions for the future. 

​

You don't have to be in a Collaborative process to use Child Specialist services, however, if you have an attorney I encourage you to seek their counsel and guidance.  I can work with parents in all types of divorce processes but I as a Collaborative practitioner, maintain an adherence to the principles and guidelines of Collaborative work that maintains confidentiality and refrains from participation in litigation.  *If you are in a Collaborative Divorce, I maintain my professional role of Collaborative Divorce Child Specialist and do not mediate parenting plans or take the lead in mediating issues as that outside of my expected role and the role of other Collaborative Divorce team members. 

​

When I am not working on a Collaborative Divorce team, I may expand my role to take on mediation tasks as long as it fits within my skills and area of experience. However I  am not a legal professional and while I guide discussions on issues including legal issues, I do not draft legal documents. Parents can ask me to write notes, fill out residential plan worksheets that are shared with both parents to help document progress on decision making, but that does not make them legal agreements. Parents if in agreement can take the notes and worksheets to have them legally drafted and submitted, but if they are not in agreement, the coparenting contract protects from information being used outside of the process. (See link below Confidentiality and Child Specialist Services).

 
​
Scheduling for New Child Specialist Divorce Coaching

If you are a potential new coaching client, I would ask you send an email with the "Child Specialist Pre-Session Information" form below (or a cut and paste version of the same) to give me an idea of your current needs, stage and any process you might be involved in that I may need to know in order to be most helpful. I'll get back to you quickly with a confirmation to schedule or feedback about other services or resources which might be more appropriate for your needs. 

​

Child Specialist Pre-Session Information

​

​

Forms for New Divorce Child Specialist Clients

If you're a new client, I will be sending you all the documents you need electronically through the online client portal. The portal is a confidential way for us to schedule, share documents and message. It is also set up to allow us to meet securely via telehealth (online) sessions if desired. You may wish to look over the forms and contracts we may be using:  and ​Some forms are specific to my practice and you may want to know about and my policies and required forms for two home families: ​

​

​

 
Additional Information
​
​
bottom of page