Divorce often makes raising children more difficult for adults. Children also can be adversely affected by the loss of daily contact with parents, the loss of their home, friends, school and familiar patterns, and can develop physical or emotional reactions connected to that traumatic loss.
Many couples involved in high conflict divorce or contested custody are unable to resolve their issues between themselves or with the help of Family Court Mediators. Marital conflict can distract parents from focusing on the health and welfare needs of their children. Family Services provides assessment, counseling, and education programs to assist these families referred by the Court, and to provide feedback to the Court that could be useful in custody decisions.
The educational and counseling services listed are also available to self-referring families seeking support and resources to best manage parenting healthy children through divorce and blended families.
Co-Parenting - Therapists facilitate a six-week structured program for former spouses or partners who will remain Co-Parents long after divorce. This program seeks to improve communication and cooperation between the parents, increase their understanding of separation and attachment issues, and give participants tools to help their children to understand and cope with the loss, anger and fear that often accompany separation or divorce.
Divorce Focused Parenting Classes - Therapists follow a structured curriculum adapted to the concerns, challenges and experiences of separated, divorced or re-married parents.
Family Re-unification - Sometimes called therapeutic visitation, this service uses therapists to re-introduce and facilitate the establishment of a positive relationship between children and a previously absentee or unavailable parent.
Court-Ordered Assessments - Therapists conduct assessments with parents, children, and other parties and use standardized evaluative tools to assess parenting capacity and needs. Formal reports are provided to the Court.
Individual, Child or Family Therapy - Courts may order or recommend counseling when there are unresolved and problematic emotional or behavioral health issues relevant to parenting or custody decisions.
Kids and Family Group - This service provides a forum for children to voice their feelings about the divorce, to receive clear information about what is happening and answers to their frequently asked questions such as: Why don't my parents get along? Was the divorce my fault? Do my parents still love me? Who will take care of me? If I'm good, will they get back together again? What can I do when they yell at each other?
SUPERVISED VISITATION
Family Services opened a Supervised Visitation Center in 1999. The purpose of the Center is to provide a safe, neutral location for contacts between a child and a non-custodial parent. Neutrality in the context of the Supervised Visitation Program means that the program staff members are not advocates for either parent, but are present to ensure a setting that is supportive of children's safety.
Supervised Visits assure that a child can have safe contact with an absent parent without having to be put in the middle of the parents' conflicts or be vulnerable to a parent's other problems. Family Services belongs to and follows the standards of the National Supervised Visitation Network. Supervised visitation can benefit all family members:
| For children: |
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It allows the children to maintain a relationship with both of their parents. |
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It allows the children to have visits without being put in the middle of their parents' conflict. |
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It allows the children to feel safe and protected during the visits. |
For custodial parents:
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They can comply with custody and visitation orders without having contact with the other parent. |
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They can usually reduce their concern and stress about children having contact with the other parent. |
For non-custodial parents:
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They can be assured of contact with their children regardless of personal or interpersonal problems. |
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They can reduce or eliminate their fear of any new accusations because there is someone present who can verify what happened during the visit. |
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