Putting your energy back into your kids

CO-PARENTING THERAPY

Successful therapy for co-parents in Overland Park, KS & online throughout Kansas

 

Co-parenting doesn’t have to be a battlefield.

Do you feel anxious before you have to see your ex? Find yourself dreading every pickup and drop off?  Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Your ex is unresponsive, and you are constantly waiting for him/her to provide information you need.

  • You feel like your ex is playing games with you; or worse, using the kids in the game.

  • Parenting your kids feels like a competition with the other parent.

  • Arguments with your ex get heated very quickly (and sometimes in front of the kids).

  • Your kids are often mediators or go-betweens, and you are worried about how this might be impacting them.

  • You don’t agree with the parenting style or decisions of the other parent.

  • You feel overtaxed and overburdened with the parenting coordination, and you are burned out.

Difficulties with co-parenting are getting in the way of enjoying your role as a parent. On top of challenges with co-parenting you feel so much sadness. Your child’s parent was once your closest confidante, and now they are a complete stranger to you. You don’t live with your kids all the time, and you miss them terribly. It leaves a huge hole in your heart to see them go away, even if only for a couple of days.  You worry so much about how they are doing when they are gone, but when they return, you struggle with parenting by yourself. 

You know you are supposed to put the kids first, but how? 

It can be better. If you are dealing with any of these issues or feelings, you have come to the right place. I have both professional and personal experience with the challenges of co-parenting.

 

How will it work?

Just because the relationship has ended doesn’t mean all the communication problems have gone away. In fact, sometimes they get worse, and the problem with that is, now you have to be better communicators than you once were.

I will find out what has been working and what has not been working. We’ll review best practices for co-parenting and work to reduce the tension and conflict by learning communication strategies that can be effective with co-parents. I do know this type of work is really tough, so I will help you find ways to compromise and consider the best interest of the children.

Co-parents work with me on anything from designing parenting plans to making decisions about their children’s education and extracurricular activities. The ultimate goal of this therapy is to you be able to communicate effectively and respectfully on your own.

You want to be the best parent for your child. Let’s discover how to make co-parenting more manageable.

Co-parenting Therapy can help you:

  • Set healthy boundaries

  • Reduce emotion and conflict in your interactions

  • Learn effective co-parenting strategies

  • Communicate your priorities more clearly and effectively

  • Learn to compromise when you have reached an impasse

  • Put your kids’ needs first

Common questions about co-parenting therapy

  • Co-parenting therapy helps parents focus on the best interests of the child(ren). This includes healthy communication skills, conflict resolution, being able to let go of past difficulties, and learning to work toward compromise. Co-parenting therapy can also include work on parenting plans, helping the child(ren) cope with the separation/divorce, setting expectations for each parent, and any other issues that may arise in the co-parenting process.

  • The goals can be whatever the parents want to achieve through the therapy process. Sometimes co-parents come with a very specific issue in mind. Other times, I work with co-parents on best practices in co-parenting. Sometimes a judge may order co-parenting therapy for a specific purpose, in which case, that will be the goal of meeting. In general, the goal of co-parenting therapy is to help parents move away from adversarial positions with each other into successful co-parents.

  • Working through your attorneys and the Courts usually costs a great deal in money and time, and usually neither parent is entirely happy with the outcome. Working through attorneys for some issues often damages the parental relationship, which is detrimental to the children. Successful co-parenting is proven to lead to greater long-term confidence and success for the children. Children who grow up with parents who can work together, even if divorced, will grow up with a healthier view of themselves and others.

    There are times when legal intervention may be the only way to resolve a major concern, but this should not take the place of co-parenting therapy to resolve most issues.

  • My fee for co-parenting therapy is $150 for a 50-minute session. I am able to split the cost of this in any way dependent upon your parenting plan. Typically, co-parents split the cost. I can provide a Superbill to each of you if your insurance companies can reimburse you for it.

    I charge $200/hour for any work related to Court, and I bill this in quarter hours. This means any work I do related to your case with a legal representative. It could include, but is not limited, writing a report for the Court, sending an email to a guardian-ad-litem, talking on the phone with a parenting coordinator, or testifying in Court.