June 21, 2024

Divorce and Separation: Helping Clients Cope

The purpose of this course is to provide an orientation and framework for clinicians who are interested in working with clients, both individuals and families, who are going through all stages of separation and divorce.

Course Description:

This course will help clinicians to work with clients to help them better manage their stress, conflict, and relationships due to experiencing separation and divorce.  With approximately 50% of the population in the US experiencing divorce, many clinicians find that they are struggling to manage client’s presentation surrounding the myriad of issues  when they emerge in the clinical process. This course will provide practical skills such as co-parent counseling, reunification counseling, and parenting support, to address the many facets that this transition presents with, when working with clients of all ages.

Specific new skills that will be taught include:

• How to help clients and their families prepare and cope with all the facets of the divorce process
• Learning about the unique dynamics of blended families and new partners, and how to help clients gain success when bringing different families together.
• Understanding the importance and implications of parenting plans for both parents and children
• Effective co-parenting counseling principles and skills
• Understanding how parental alienation can occur and how to help clients understand it and prevent it
• Understanding how to help clients manage their anger and emotions when dealing with their ex-partner
• Understanding how to help clients deal with the multiple losses that come from the divorce process
• Understanding the complexities of the divorce process and the myriad of issues that relate to it
• Instruction on how to implement techniques and interventions which will address the many aspects that the client and the family needs when going through a separation and or divorce

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Identify all the aspects of what the divorce process entails
• Identify & assess how the specific components of divorce (such as single parenting, communication with ex partner) effect the whole family system
• Explain how co-parent counseling and reunification therapy are important components of skill building
• Identify & assess how the specific components of divorce (such as single parenting, communication with ex partner) effect the whole family system and how co-parent counseling and reunification therapy  are important components of skill building

Teaching Methods:

This course will be taught with a combination of methods including didactic lecture and interactive activities including role plays and break-out rooms which will:

Offer participants the opportunity to practice the skills, techniques and strategies that prepare them for working with families who are separated or divorced.

Engage participants in experiencing the client perspective through hands on experiential exercises.

Discussion of how to apply clinical issues of divorce and separation to specific cases, as well as  provide case examples throughout.