This article seeks to inform readers about the psychological services related to reunification counselling. It is a focused article that will delineate the process of re-establishing a parent-child relationship after there has been a significant break in contact and/or parental alienation.
Adults marry or form intimate relationships with a partner with the intention to remain with that partner for the rest of their lives. But it's a well established fact that it doesn't always work out that way. While the divorce rates are not as high as many people think, estimates from Statistics Canada in 2008 suggested that 38 per cent of married couples in Canada will divorce by their 30th wedding anniversary. The percentages range from 22 per cent in
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A meeting between parent and child, particularly after a long separation, is emotionally laden. It is often a frightening time for children who may fear alienating the custodial parent if they begin to accept and enjoy a relationship with the estranged parent. If the children have witnessed years of arguing and/or familial violence between their parents the estranged parent may become the scapegoat for all that was considered 'bad' in the family home. Without doubt, children have been bitterly disappointed by the breakdown of the family. The estranged parent may have attempted to re-establish a relationship with their children several times without success. The meetings may have been tense and emotional. There is always the possibility that the children will be questioned when they returned home and the estranged parent further disparaged by the custodial parent. It is obvious that such circumstances will undermine the work underway at my office and significantly hamper any reconciliation between the alienated parent and their …show more content…
My work will begin with a one-hour consultation with the alienated parent. If the terms of service are satisfactory to both parties and I am able to accept the case, I will draft a plan for the reunification counselling and submit it to the client and/or their counsel. An estimate of the fee for psychological services will be submitted at that time with the caveat that additional service will be more costly. (If the client has workplace insurance benefits that cover psychological services some or all of the fees may be recovered.) Simultaneously, the parent's counsel will request that reunification counselling be considered an option by the separated or divorced
A century ago, divorce was nearly non-existent due to the cultural and religious pressures placed upon married couples. Though over time Canadians have generally become more tolerate of what was once considered ‘mortal sin’, marital separation and divorce still remain very taboo topics in society. Political leaders are frowned upon when their marriages’ crumble, religions isolate and shun those who break their martial vows and people continue to look down on those who proceed to legally separate their households. With that being said, couples do not just decide to get a divorce for no particular reason. There must be something driving them towards marital dissatisfaction and further, driving them towards divorce.
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
With starting the services of court-mandated classes and counseling for parents and children of all divorces, this will ensure to put children at the forefront of the divorce instead of financial gain or heartache of the divorce. Furthermore, the initiation of court-mandated therapy or training would emphasize the importance of ne...
American Psychological Association (1994). Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings. American Psychologist, 47, 1597-1611.
A parent's involvement typically begins early in a child's life. When a child first opens his or her eyes they should see their parent's smiling faces looking back at them. As the child continues to grow up and develop their parent's constant presence in their lives provides structure. But for some children they do not receive this kind of stability from their parents due to early separation from their parents. Children can be separated from their parents by a multitude of causes like death, adoption, incarnated, foster care, substance abuse and others. Children at the age of three years old or younger are very sensitive to the issue. Parents play an important role in our lives. Our parents help us form who we want to become and our own identity. When children are separated permanently or for an extended period of time from their parents, this can cause a child to respond to the situation in a negative manner (McIntosh, 2010). The loss of a parent or both parents can be detrimental to child's life. The loss can leave behind a scaring effect on a child and could remain with them their entire lives. Early separation from parents can cause children to develop behavioral problems in response to the situation.
Unfortunately, we live in a world were economic times are tough. It can be a struggle for parents to adequately support children - especially if there is only one parent. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development about 15.9 percent of children world wide live in single-parent households. In the United states alone there are approximately 13.7 million single parents today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today). The question we must ask is, What struggles and psychological effect does separation and divorce have on the parents as well as the children?
The purpose of this literature review is to inform readers about the effects of parental divorce. As concluded, the three main causes of distress in children due to divorce is parental absence, economic disadvantage, and family conflict (Amato, P. R., & Keith, B., 1991).
The breakdown of a family can have many repercussions on the individual members with the least involvement. The children involved in a divorce are often times the most impacted victims of a divorce. Children with divorced parents are often left feeling neglected by the parent that has chosen to move out, unloved, and often times burdened with feelings of guilt. The poverty rates of single parented households are alarmingly high, and are often the result of divorce. With all these factors added together, divorce is a dangerous and scarring event in a child’s psyche.
Gindes, Marion. "The Psychological Effects of Relocation for Children of Divorce." Psychological Effects of Relocaction 15 (1998): 119-148.
Children will be suffered conflict with the interaction with their parents and siblings, and other aspects in their family life by cause of the divorce (Berk, 2010). Some parents who decide to get divorced that they were waiting the time on arguments and fights. Also, these parents use their children to punishment to one to each other. For this situation, children have a lot of conflicts on their emotions, and they have issues in their security. For instance, the custody’s fights are the biggest battle during the separation, and parents develop a lot of stress during this process. In the majority of the cases, mothers have the custody of their children, and they have to raise as a single mother. Also, the children tend to develop a lot of fears and about what they want to do. The divorce brings several negatives on children, and children live with a lot of stress during the divorce process. As well as, each child is different, and they
The major portion of the 1.5 million children in the United States whose parents divorce every year feel as if their world is being shattered. Many families are torn apart each year due to divorce. When children realize that their parents are not going to work out together, it is heartbreaking. It is a proven fact that the younger children are when parents get divorced, the worse the affects are. When children are involved in a divorce, it not only affects them emotionally and physically, but they are also affected socially; and they feel like a social outcast. Many may think that divorce is horrific on children, but it is much worse than most would think. Some parents are so worried for their children’s welfare that they remain in unhappy marriages, believing that it will protect the child from the trauma of divorce. After children are affected by divorce, they will always feel as if it was somehow their fault. Out of all of the things that happen in divorce, someone has to get sole custody of the children involved. In often times, that is the hardest part for
The divorce statistics and couples living together paint an interesting picture. More than half the couples that decided to marry lived together before hand.
Parents who are going through a divorce sometimes try to shield their children from the situation. But regardless of their parents good intentions, children often find themselves in an emotional catastrophe. Instead of protection from the situation, children need support and reassurance during this hard time. Parents feel like it is their job to protect their children from the same kinds of anguish and stress that they feel during the divorce. But ignoring this only leads to more unwanted stress. Parents should help their children better understand what changes will be taking place in the future, such as new places to live, new ways of communicating with their parents, and new schedules of daily life.
There was a time, in a traditional wedding, the couple repeated the phrase, “till death do us part,” and it meant that only the death of one or the other would end the marriage. Some get married on a whim with no regard to the commitment made before God, family and friends. Troubles hit the marriage and the only route of defense is the divorce court. Still others may have courted for a while, spend a small fortune on the perfect wedding and still end in divorce. According to Dana Krupinsky his article, Divorce in America – Why?, people want only what is good for themselves, even if it is not the best for someone else. Some have the attitude, "If the marriage doesn't work, I can get a divorce.” Making a marriage work is much harder that filling out paperwork.
Young children whose parents go through a divorce often have different reactions than other members of the family. Seeing their parents...