The latest findings related to family and couple therapy include in this article reveal information that are relevant for both Christian and Secular counselors and therapist. Some of the current findings on long-term implications for children and families after divorce are as follows.
1. The litigious divorce process often leaves children with parents who are at “war” and have little ability to co-parent effectively.
2. Consequently, children often are left with parents who are hateful to one another and essentially unable to work together (i.e., communicate and make pertinent parenting decisions).
3. Families are left with parents who have high levels of dysfunctional conflict that can leave a lasting mark on children (Johnston & Roseby,
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The psychotherapist easily can be drawn into the legal system, being called to testify. This can have the consequence of piercing what was expected to be the protected environment of the therapeutic intervention, thereby exposing the child’s comments and emotional experiences and the psychologist to the hostile scrutiny of the courtroom. When this occurs, children can have their feelings, thoughts, and concerns on public display. These children also are subject to retribution from parents who may feel hurt or threatened by hearing testimony that otherwise would not be available to them if they were not litigating
In identify problems or question(s) covered in the research counselors and therapist encounter the following.
1. Court orders finalizing the divorce usually require parental cooperation and collaboration. They are based presumably on the expectation that parents can recover from the battle so they will be able to communicate and work together.
2. Parents may have spent years and much of their savings bitterly fighting with one another, sharing, and perhaps exaggerating, each other’s faults on the record in the public forum of the
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We would not expect two surgeons who were in a contentious “divorce” in their practice to assist one another in the operating room. Yet we expect parents to work together as the “board of directors” of the family to help their children both cope with the divorce and deal with the other challenges they face. Furthermore, the psychotherapist can unwittingly be put in the position of speculating about the fitness of the parents, which is something well beyond the scope of the treatment and perhaps beyond the scope of the clinician’s skill set, putting the clinician in ethical jeopardy as well (Zimmerman et al.,
Family therapy is often needed when families go through transitions such as separations between parents and divorce. According to research, “the power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interactions” (Nichols, & Davis, p.18), as problems need to be addressed at their source. The children who are the most vulnerable, when parents decide to separate, exhibit symptoms which are exaggerations of their parent’s problems (Nichols, & Davis, p.18). Frank and Walt Berkman are the examples of how children cope and adapt to the stressors of family separations such as marital separations and
...rt of the medical profession, the therapists are expected to maintain the confidentiality of their clients. A psychologist must be able to acquire a client’s trust in order to keep quality confidentiality amongst the two parties. Only on seriously occasions should the patient’s records be shared, under certain other conditions the psychotherapy records of a minor can be reviewed by others without prior written consent. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), psychologists can usually give way the patient records to parents or legal guardians. Some of the ethical rules that apply to the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry are clear and generally agreed upon For example, rules against sexual contact or harsh or abusive treatment are encoded as boundary violations. A psychotherapist must be able to respect the boundaries of the client.
Taking into consideration the location of the counselling space within a school becomes essential in maintaining confidentiality as it ensures the location is away from open areas such as; the lunchroom and gym, and is free from interruptions (Pearce, Sewell and Cromarty, 2015). It is also important to note that Mary’s attachment insecurity creates challenges for the school counsellor as her internal working model has allowed her to expect the same experience from all relationships (Ray, 2010). As such, establishing and consolidating a trustworthy relationship may take several weeks, and Mary may be wary of the credibility and trustworthiness of the counsellor (Pearce, Sewell, and Cromarty, 2015). The security of the familiar school environment supports the therapeutic relationship as it is able to foster safety and stability (Baker, 2017). Also, in consideration that Mary is a minor, the efficacy and foundation of her counselling progress will rely on liaison with her parents, staff and other related professional figures (Ray, 2010). Confidentiality, consulting other professionals, knowing when to keep or destroy records, and making it clear when confidentiality cannot be kept is most critical (Ray, 2010). Baker (2017) states that whilst adherence to client confidentiality is imperative,
Shansky, J. (2002). Negative effects of divorce on child and adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Pastoral Counseling, 37, 73-87. http://0-search.proquest.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/docview/236056020?accountid=12629
Demo, D. H., & Acock, A. C. (1988). The impact of divorce on children. Journal of Marriage
Shansky, Janet. 2002. "NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT." Journal of Pastoral Counseling 37, 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).
Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.
Graham Blaine Jr. who is the Chief of Psychiatry at Harvard University health services writes a chapter in the book Explaining Divorce to Children. This chapter is entitled “The Effect of Divorce upon the Personality Development of Children and Youth.” He addresses this chapter to parents who are considering getting a divorce or are in the middle of the divorce process. The author uses a combination of Ethos and Pathos to support his theory on divorce. Blaine uses these strategies to highlight the mixed emotions a child may endure while going through such a confusing stage of their early lives. This then gives the audience a better understanding of the certain personalities children may gain while coping with sad situation of split parents. He also draws on his experience as a psychiatrist to give statistics as well as true stories to back up his reasoning.
Girgis, George, & Anderson (2011) define marriage as the union of a man and a woman who make a permanent and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally (inherently) fulfilled by bearing and rearing children together. These marriages are intended to last eternity and are partially accomplished by raising children together, yet four of every ten marriages lead to divorce and of these divorces, 35% involve children (Ambert, 2009). Children tend to blame themselves for the divorce and are usually caught in the crossfire. These divorces lead to both stress and depression for children and without a strong sense of family, children will have a huge disadvantage over children with a stable healthy family (Arreola, Hartounian, Kurges, Maultasch, & Retana, 2013). Without the ability to cope with the stress of a divorce, children can be effected in multiple ways including a change in mentality, unacceptable behavioural traits and both short and long term emotional factors that will ultimately lead to a critical issue in child development.
Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things"(Pickett, 2000). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages that figure is considerably higher, with a 67% average (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). One critical aspect of divorce is often not taken into consideration: How it affects children. Every year 1.1 million children are affected by divorce (Benjamin, 2000). Children from divorce or separation often exhibit behavioral and long-term adjustment problems (Kelly, 2000). Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children at different age levels, how they react, and what can be done to help them.
It is unfortunate that marriages sometimes end and there are children caught in the middle of the marriage but it may be worst for the parents to stay together simply for the children’s sake. However when parents do divorce the children are the most effected by the divorce. Often enough the divorce causes children to feel displaced and also to have feelings that their world is coming to an end. These children tend to grow into adults with either extreme emotional detachment and self-esteem issues or they will have strong family values and try to prevent the cycle from repeating itself but the majority of these children grow up suffering from the divorce.
The techniques used in marriage and family counseling can be different. For instance, counselors will sometimes handle family therapy in different ways than they would couples or marital therapy. Both family and marriage c...
Family law attorneys often deal with secrets that are kept within families. These lawyers hear about domestic violence, sexual abuse, parental kidnapping, child abuse, and threats. This career field is often very stressful and attorneys must make sure that they do not become emotionally involved. The case that I chose to base this essay off of was not labeled with a case name, however it’s important to note that I retrieved it from the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial
As children, we depend greatly on our parents to satisfy our basic needs, for guidance, nurturance and for help in shaping our emotions, behaviors and relationships. For children, the family is a highly valued context for understanding and interpreting their development as individuals. As Bjorklund and Pelligrini (2001) have asserted, we are a “slow-developing, big-brained species”, the relatively large size of our brains demands a prolonged period of immaturity, therefore requiring a great deal of support and nurturance from parents (DeLoache, J., Eisenberg, N., Siegler, R. 2011). However, an adaptive consequence to this extended immaturity is our high level of neural plasticity and our ability to learn from experience. Growing up in a stable environment can undoubtedly reap successful development for children on many levels, just as living in an unstable environment will certainly allow for undesirable consequences. Despite great individual differences, research from psychologists such as Erik Erikson and Sigmund Freud, among others allows us to organize and understand the affects of long lasting parental conflict on child development and family. Research has allowed a strong shot at understanding child development, allowing parental conflict to be observed and connected with the development of children across many aspects. It is largely the differences between socioeconomic status, culture, race, gender and level of conflict, support and resiliency, which directly affect children and other relatives over time.
Marriage Counseling or “Couple Therapy” is a term that is used to describe a type of counseling a couple attends in order to help them overcome issues in their relationships to avoid separation or divorce. Today, people view divorce as something that occurs commonly between married couples who have difficulty maintaining a relationship with their spouse. For the past thirty years, the phrase: “fifty percent of marriages end in divorce”, seems to have been ingrained into people’s mentality because it has become extremely common to come across individuals who have either been through one or more divorces. Divorce or separation not only affects the couples, but also their children. Having a strong family plays a major part in the lives of children and is crucial for their mental well-being. A report done by a team of senior academics for DailyMail UK found that “the damage caused to a child by divorce continues to blight his or her life as far as old age” and that “parental separation in childhood was consistently associated with psychological distress in adulthood during people’s early thirties”. Not only does the report show that children are affected by the effects of divorced but, the report also suggests that as divorce and separation continues to grow more common in society, the effects it has on the mental health of children does not reduce.