Bridging Relationships
Renegotiating Relationships After Separation:
Fostering & Strengthening Parent-Child Connections
I
t is a fact of society that relationships breakdown. When relationships breakdown and children are involved, it becomes more complex and distressing.
In Australia, the divorce rate is continuing to decrease. However, the divorce rates do not show the true statistics of relationship breakdowns, as they do not take into account those who have been cohabitating and then separated. More couples are choosing to cohabitate than get married, per year.
Child Centred & Focused Realistic, Flexible, Negotiation
Functional & Effective Communication
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, 48.4% of the divorces in 2012 involved families with children under the age of 18. Data from the Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) indicates that children living with cohabiting parents are more likely than those living with married parents to experience parental separation. ‘Separation and divorce is a very complex and challenging process and time, for everyone involved,’ says Naomi Douglas, Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Marriage & Co-parenting Coach from NaomiDouglas.com.au. It tends to be a
Heal Your Own Emotions
Effective Co-Parenting
Consistency & Structure for Stability & Security
Leave Your Relationship Issues Out Of It
Role Modelling
minefield of negative emotion, stress and conflict. As a parent it is important that you try and build a safe, stable and supportive environment for your children. It is important for each parent to support and foster a close relationship with the other parent, unless there are safety and security issues. It would be optimal if both parents could amicably agree on what the best is for the children however this is the exception and not the norm. March 2015 | iSelf Magazine
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