Adult Divorce Counseling: After walking the pathway of divorce with hundreds of women, men, adolescents, and children, I can say that I deeply understand the process, the emotions, the changes and stages people go through during this huge life adjustment. Seeing people heal and grow in counseling during and after divorce, watching them blossom into someone more than they were before, is one of my greatest joys as a psychologist specializing in divorce.
Divorce can create hopelessness, anger, powerlessness, and despair; many people get stuck in that bitter place for the rest of their lives. In counseling, though, I so often see these negative feelings give way to amazing insights, hope, strength, and a more joyful life. Hard to believe when you are in the middle of this mess, but it really does happen!
Divorce Co-Parenting: The marriage may be ending but your job as co-parents goes on. Perhaps you need better communication as joint parents, stronger boundaries or more flexibility. Or you may want to know how to help your child make transitions between your two homes more easily. Your parenting time plan may need some adjustment. I’m happy to help you with the many challenges of co-parenting during and after a divorce.
Parenting Plan Consultation and Mediation: Parenting Time and Decision Making (Custody Issues). Deciding how to divide the children’s time and how to make decisions for them as divorced parents can be complicated. My years of experience as a divorce expert working with hundreds of families allow me to provide you with the current thinking and research about children’s needs in divorce, popular parenting plans, and how to think about what is best for your children, considering their ages, personalities, and developmental needs. One nice thing about mediating your parenting plan in divorce is that you parents make all the decisions yourselves. I am just here to help you listen to each other respectfully, share the information and experience I have as a child custody expert, and allow you to create a plan that works for your unique family situation. You can avoid tremendous emotional and financial strain using divorce mediation.
Custody Evaluation Coaching: When parents cannot agree on parenting time and decision making or there are other important concerns about the care of the children, the court may order a custody evaluation. In Colorado, the “big” custody evaluation is called a Parental Responsibilities Evaluation (PRE) and the “little” evaluation is called Child and Family Investigation (CFI). Either type of custody evaluation is a major undertaking during divorce and can feel daunting and overwhelming. So much is at stake and you want to do your best to get a good outcome for the children and yourself. It’s hard to know what to expect or how to handle it.
I coach and counsel many parents going through PRE or CFI evaluations. I can help you understand the process so you don’t feel caught off guard, answer your questions, and guide you toward your best communication and self-presentation. I can also help you identify and work on any personal roadblocks that get in the way of you being the best parent you can be. I don’t help people “look better” in custody evaluation–I help them actually BE better!
Divorce counseling for children and teens: Many children and teens dealing with divorce feel confused, anxious, depressed, or angry. Behavior problems may pop up, transitions may be difficult, and your child may not know who to believe or what to think. It can really help to have someone there just for your child, someone who “gets it” to talk to, play with, and learn strategies for coping. During this difficult time, get them all the help and support you can, both in your personal life and by providing a safe, caring, wise child-therapist relationship with an experienced child divorce expert such as myself.
Stepfamilies/ Blended Families: Divorce doesn’t last forever, thank goodness, and often there is a new love, a new life, and a new step or blended family. While a fresh start like this is a great joy, it can also be very, very challenging! (Did I say VERY challenging?) Get a good start by anticipating and working out issues early in the process. If that didn’t happen, as it often doesn’t, let’s meet to work out some practical, effective strategies to get that new family rolling more smoothly. I’m a family systems-trained psychologist with special expertise in blended and stepfamilies, and I am happy to help you.