Divorces and accompanying conflict aren’t uncommon — and neither are the negative effects on children.
That’s why Tri-City Transitions Society (TCT) has launched Parallel Parenting: Co-parenting Stronger, a program focused on reducing conflict between parents by dramatically altering the way they communicate between themselves in front of their children.
Divorce doesn’t mess kids up, conflict does, according to TCT, which says children need their parents to continue to contribute to their care and upbringing after separation. As well, children have the right to expect their parents and caregivers to work together, whenever possible, to ensure the child’s needs are met.
TCT’s Parallel Parenting supplements the province’s Parenting After Separation program, which is focused on creating and implementing respectful communication between parents in the best interests of the child. Parents learn about their legal rights and obligations and will develop a parenting agreement that will serve as a blueprint for future, respectful communication.
Altering communication patterns may shift their attitudes and reduce conflict, allowing their child to develop a healthy relationship with each parent, without being caught in the middle.
The project includes a series of four two-hour workshops; each session includes moms and dads, although couples will be separated in the workshops. Two professional mediators/facilitators trained in family dynamics will lead each group. Participants will also draft a parenting agreement with the assistance of mediators.
The target population for the workshops is parents in continuing conflict, drawing participants from the Fraser Health Authority region and provincial court jurisdictions.
For more information contact Carol Metz Murray at 604-941-7111 or email [email protected].
