Coparenting Therapy
Loving your child through your ex
When should you consider coparenting therapy?
Separation or divorce can be profoundly disruptive not only for you or your ex-partner, but for the child as well. It not only represents the physical division of the family, but also the emotional upheaval that comes with it.
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You may find it sometimes difficult to keep your emotions in check or not take things personally when discussing parenting issues, leading to conflict with your ex-partner. Frustrations may boil over as you clash over parenting decisions or time with your child.
As aggravating and discouraging the process is for you, imagine how much more confusing and scarier it can be for your child who may feel helpless witnessing the deterioration of what they once considered their safe place.
Whether you are fed up with the constant conflict over parenting duties or want to start off on the right foot with your ex-partner, coparenting therapy can help in improving communication, coordination of parenting duties, and the overall parenting relationship with your ex-partner, so you can focus on providing a healthy environment for your child, wherever they reside.
When coparenting is healthy and respectful, your child will feel safer and more supported as you help them sort out the turmoil they may feel.
As you work towards consistency and stability between home environments, your child will be less anxious and have less reason to react.
Discover how coparenting therapy works
If you’re curious about what coparenting therapy actually is, it combines parent education, mediation and counselling to provide coparents with a structured and neutral setting where you can work towards a functional, respectful coparenting relationship where you have the best interests of your child at heart. In therapy, you will learn how to communicate and resolve conflict better as coparents and resolve conflict better as parents, navigate a future or existing parenting plan more successfully, and address any emotional hurts that may come as you coparent together.
Coparenting therapy is appropriate for parents who are at any stage of their separation or divorce. You may be on your way to separation or well into your divorce.
Coparenting therapist vs. Parent Coordinator
A coparenting therapist is not, however, the same as a parent coordinator.
Parent coordinators are trained professionals in dispute resolution and mediation who help parents resolve differences in carrying out parenting agreements or court orders. Unlike coparenting therapy, parent coordination is a non-confidential service where coordinators can monitor the compliance of court orders or testify in court.
Benefits of coparenting therapy
​Participating in coparenting therapy not only reaps benefits for the parents involved, but also helps the children, which ultimately is for their benefit and well-being.
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Improved communication skills between parents
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More constructive and healthy ways to resolve conflict
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More consistency and alignment in rules, routines, and parenting styles between parents
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New and more enhanced parenting skills
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Reduced stress and anxiety in parenting
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More clarity and understanding in what to expect from parents
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Increased feelings of safety in a more peaceful parenting environment
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Increased feelings of security in a more stable and predictable parenting environment
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More opportunities to thrive at home, at school, and in the community
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More focus on the child’s emotional, mental, and physical development where their needs are heard and met.
Benefits for the parent
Benefits for the child
What to expect from coparenting therapy
As you consider whether to see a coparenting therapist, you may fraught with a lot of questions and anxieties of what to expect, and whether it will work. One of the first things we do when we get together is to get to know each other.
What is currently happening in your relationship?
How did you come to your decision to separate or divorce?
What are your current parenting concerns?
How is your child dealing with the situation?
And of course, you get to learn and ask me questions about my approach and the process of coparenting therapy.
As we learn more about your parenting situation, as well as your child’s needs, background and experiences, we will explore your hopes and expectations in hopes of identifying coparenting goals that will guide our work together.
Ideally, coparenting therapy is most effective when all parents attend, but can still be helpful if only one attends; parents may also benefit from occasionally meeting separately. As sessions progress, we will work towards meeting the objectives that was tailored for you, whether it is to deal with your communication or conflict resolution, successfully carry out your parenting arrangements, and/or pick up helpful parenting strategies that will meet your specific coparenting needs.
​Ultimately, the outcome of our sessions is to be the best parents we can be for the best interests of our child. As we continue our work, we can continue to monitor your progress, address any challenges, and make the necessary adjustments towards meeting your goals. Throughout the process, you can expect me to offer you continued guidance and emotional support, and provide you with any additional suggestions, resources, or referrals as needed.
How I can help as a coparenting therapist
As an experienced counsellor who has worked with single parents, separated/divorced parents, and caregivers of many kinds, I have helped parents navigate the time they are apart from their children as well as when they are together.
I have worked in both Family Preservation & Reunification programs and community agencies to assist parents in better coping with their coparenting challenges, better understanding their child, and better managing their emotional, mental health, and behavioral challenges.
My experience as a Certified Parent Facilitator has also afforded me with the privilege of offering parent education, coaching, and tailored parenting strategies to support the needs of caregivers. As a coparenting therapist, you will be in good hands, as I offer you a safe and nonjudgmental place to work towards being the best parent possible for your child.
Reach out and find out more about coparenting therapy
If you have any questions, or would like to explore what it would be like to engage in coparenting therapy, feel free to connect with me by contacting me or booking a free consultation now. I would love to journey with you!
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I look forward to talking to you!
David
*Note: As I am not a parent coordinator, I do not help with creating or mediating formal parenting plans, nor can I offer to carry out, monitor or report on the progress of plans ordered by the courts. I also do not work with parents who are currently involved with the courts involving custody cases.