About 50% of children will go through their parents’ divorce; almost half of them will witness a second. Divorce is blamed for a range of scary statistics regarding children’s emotional, psychological, physical, and academic functioning, including significantly higher rates of suicide, substance abuse, early pregnancy, and high school drop-out. However, it is not divorce itself but high-conflict divorce rife with loyalty binds that leads to these unfavorable outcomes for children. If you see people in your practice, you will see divorce. Knowing how to help parents carry out a “team divorce” for the sake of the child is a much-needed skill set regardless of the population you serve. This 3-hour training offers a step-by-step process for guiding parents through a healthy separation. You will leave with the knowledge and skillset you need to grow your business with this fulfilling counseling niche while helping parents set their children up for adulthood unfettered by divorce trauma.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Guide two grieving parents onto a divorce team.
- Educate parents on children in divorce and how to transition their family into two homes in a healthy way.
- Guide parents in developing a custody plan and a separation plan.
- Coach parents in how to tell their children they are divorcing and how to handle future conversations in a healthy, age-appropriate way.
- Provide parents with basic co-parenting tenets and tools.
Syllabus:
Objective #1: Introduction to Divorce Consulting
- Rationale for training in divorce consulting
- High prevalence and unmet needs in family support
- Role of clinicians in promoting child and family wellbeing
Objective #2: Impact of Divorce on Children
- Common psychological, academic, and behavioral outcomes
- Risks of high-conflict separation
- Protective factors that mitigate negative outcomes
- Importance of cooperative co-parenting
Objective #3: Intake and Assessment Process
- Joint intake: marital status, parenting concerns, strengths, and dynamics
- Individual sessions: rapport-building and exploration of unspoken issues
- Grief stages and readiness for divorce work
- Closure counseling session: structure and clinician’s role
Objective #4: Treatment Planning and Divorce Education
- Types of divorce: DIY, mediation, arbitration, collaborative, traditional
- Educating parents on emotional and logistical aspects of separation
- Coaching parents through acceptance and mutual understanding
Objective #5: Protecting Children Through the Divorce Process
- Reducing conflict and supporting relationships with both parents
- Avoiding loyalty binds: spying, disparaging, using the child as a messenger
- Promoting emotional safety and relational consistency
Objective #6: Defining the New Living Situation
- Deciding who moves out and when
- Proximity considerations and anticipated lifestyle changes
- Addressing effects on school, friendships, activities, and pets
- Discussing future traditions and shared family events
Objective #7: Creating a Parenting Plan
- Developmentally appropriate schedules: infants, toddlers, school-age children
- Evaluating attachment, temperament, and parent availability
- Week-on/week-off, 2-2-3, and 2-2-5-5 schedule formats
- Vacation and holiday planning
Objective #8: Communicating with Children About Divorce
- When, where, and how to have the conversation
- Sample scripts and language appropriate for different ages
- What to avoid saying and how to handle emotional reactions
- Preparing for ongoing and future conversations
Objective #9: Core Co-parenting Skills
- Promoting consistency across households
- Joint vs. unilateral decisions: medical, educational, religious
- Guidepost questions for co-parenting decisions
- Treating co-parenting like a business partnership
Objective #10: Communication Strategies
- BIFF (Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm) communication model
- Email examples and tone-setting practices
- Conflict resolution through respectful, factual dialogue
- Position vs. interest and structured brainstorming techniques
Social workers completing this course receive 3 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 3 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Erica Blystone, LCSW
Recording Date: 8/25/2024
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com