Last updated on March 16th, 2023 at 01:15 am
What starts out as a fun and happy relationship can often descend into something dark and painful, ultimately ending in divorce or separation. This situation on its own can be mentally and emotionally taxing, but when children are involved, the scenario has the potential to become exponentially worse. This is why we always recommend that you seek out the best co-parenting counseling near me or online.
When parents separate, they don’t have the luxury of consigning that relationship to the history books. Instead, they have to remain in constant communication as they attempt to do what’s best for their child or children.
People often split up because they don’t see eye to eye, which can exacerbate the situation when making decisions that affect the kids. Parental conflict can have an adverse effect on a child’s mental well-being and behavior.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Why Consider The Best Co-Parenting Counseling Near Me Or Online?
At the start of a relationship breakdown, it can be challenging to picture how you and your ex-partner can co-exist in your child’s life without causing additional pain and suffering. Children are emotionally vulnerable during their early years, and their feelings can be compounded by unrest between their parents.
If your relationship has a history of conflict prior to your divorce or separation, there’s a good chance that tension will spill over into your parenting decisions, and even with the best intentions, kids occasionally suffer the ignominy of listening to their parents speak poorly of one another, argue, or be rude to each other.
It’s critical in this situation that you, as parents, can find a middle ground, a place where you can make decisions that have the sole purpose of giving your child or children the best start in life you can without compromising your beliefs or own well-being.
While co-parenting is one of the most challenging experiences of your life (especially if your divorce or separation was acrimonious), it’s not impossible. It can be made less challenging by employing the help of a counselor who can guide you through the minefield of parenting alongside an ex-partner.
It’s at this point in their lives that children need the most care and understanding. All too often, kids feel responsible for their parent’s separation, which can be damaging to their emotional development.
Utilizing the best co-parenting counseling near you or online can teach you the skills you need to successfully navigate the hazards of caring for your children post-divorce with the least amount of disruption to all your lives.
Discover the top 10 reasons why parents divorce.
How Can The Best Co-Parenting Therapy Help?
By going to the best co-parenting therapy near you or online, you’ll learn how to set aside your differences and make decisions for your children and move forward with their best interests at heart.
Letting go of the past gives you the freedom to balance your new life with your parenting responsibilities while remaining civil (and in some cases forming friendships) with your ex-partner.
Co-parenting therapy has a three-pronged support structure:
- Conflict Avoidance & Resolution
- Improving Communication Skills
- Co-Parenting Strategies
These tools can help you overcome any parental differences you may have with your ex-partner that may be causing your child emotional distress.
Conflict Avoidance & Resolution
Frequently, not much changes when parents separate or divorce because the problems that plagued their relationship when they were together are the same issues they still have to deal with after they split up.
Furthermore, there’s the added possibility of new relationships, reduced civility, and that two people no longer romantically connected might be less inclined to consider the other person’s feelings.
After learning conflict resolution skills from the online co-parenting counselor, you’ll be able to set healthy boundaries that will prevent you from falling back into old habits and be able to cast aside your differences for the good of your children.
You’ll also be able to identify potential future conflicts more quickly, enabling you to sit down with your ex-partner and working to resolve the situation before it becomes untenable. This, in turn, will allow you to make the best decisions for your child’s needs.
Healthy & Productive Communication
A healthy & productive channel of communication plays a critical role in successful co-parenting. Calmly and respectfully communicating your feelings, thoughts and ideas is not only an effective decision-making process, but it avoids potential conflict too.
In my experience, clients who attend the best co-parenting therapy sessions online or near them have superior communication skills that let parents talk about their children without being rude or intrusive about each other’s personal lives.
It also makes drawing up schedules and agendas a more manageable task if both parties can express themselves clearly.
Find the best divorce counseling near you or online now.
Co-Parenting Strategies
Divorces and separations that aren’t amicable often leave both parents (and sometimes the children) mentally drained and unable to perform their parental duties to the best of their abilities. This is normal, and you shouldn’t be ashamed if you have difficulties.
However, the best co-parenting counseling near me or online can help you focus on what you should be doing by teaching you co-parenting strategies to get both parents on the same page.
Some of the strategies a co-parenting therapist can teach you are:
- Consistency Between Both Households
- Having Similar Clothes / Uniforms / Toys & Gadgets at Each House
- Consistent Schedules / Agendas / Timesharing
- Concise Age-Appropriate Communication With Your Child
- Considerate Pick Ups & Drop Offs
Children occasionally use conflict between their parents to “play them off one another” to try and get their own way. It’s not unusual for a child to tell one parent that their other parent lets them do a particular activity or to act out in a way that punishes the parent the child wants to manipulate.
A co-parenting therapist will teach you how to spot these manipulative behaviors and nip them in the bud by having each other’s backs in the decision-making process. Using conflict resolution skills, clear communication, and parenting strategies, you’ll find it much easier to make sure your child is happy and healthy.
How Do I Find The Best Co-Parenting Counseling Near Me or Online?
Like any other form of therapy, you could start by asking friends or family if they have any recommendations for a good family or divorce counselor.
If you belong to a church, then your local pastor or other churchgoers may also be able to provide a referral.
However, if you are either new to the area (in which case you won’t know many people), or if you live in a more remote area, it may be difficult to find a good co-parenting therapist near you.
That’s why we highly recommend that you try giving online co-parenting counseling a try. Not only is it way more affordable than traditional counseling, but it is also far more accessible for more people. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages is that you don’t even need to be in the room with your ex-spouse, as you can both do the counseling remotely from anywhere.
We recommend Online-Therapy for finding the best co-parenting counseling near you or online. They have the largest selection of therapists located throughout the country. We have seen other readers have great success with using their online counseling platform.
We may receive compensation if you sign up for online counseling services we recommend.
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Final Thoughts
The thought of co-parenting with an ex-partner with whom you’ve previously had an acrimonious relationship can be a worrying one, but it doesn’t need to be that way.
Two parents who are committed to learning effective strategies for the sake of their children’s health (both mental and emotional) stand a greater chance of success over those who try to “wing it” and constantly wind up arguing.
Research shows that parental conflict is detrimental to a child’s development. However, attending counseling sessions not only arms you with the knowledge you need for effective co-parenting it also provides you with an unbiased platform to clear the air and start afresh.
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