Ask any counsellor and they would immediately tell you how challenging it is to do counselling on families, more so on children who may not have a full understanding yet on divorce and separation.

Counselling is usually filled with conflict and is highly emotional. In the process of divorce and separation, all parties including children experience a myriad of emotions; there can be fear, anxiety, anger, and great sadness. With all these tensions and emotions flowing, it is generally recommended for those going through divorce and separation to undergo therapy or to seek professional help to process and encourage everyone’s mental stability.

There are several options parents or involved parties can take to protect the family’s mental health while going through the divorce process. Some of these professional help options are found below.

Divorce/Co-parent Coach

Aside from providing professional help to kids, it is equally important for both parents to undergo therapy themselves to be able to provide the emotional needs of their children during the divorce process. In this case, the old adage that says “you cannot pour from an empty cup” is true. In order to provide emotional and mental support to your children, you need to have a good grip on your own sanity.

A divorce/co-parent coach works with couples through the process of divorce or separation. The coach guides both parties or either of the two, depending on who sought for help, to go through the emotional rollercoaster associated with divorce as they end their spousal relationship and transform that relationship into a co-parenting one.

Co-parenting is designed to make it easier for parents to function and go about their parental duties without being together. In the end, if co-parenting works, the child ultimately benefits and both parents provide for the best interest of the child.

Divorce/co-parent coaches also work with co-parents even after the divorce to help former spouses implement the parenting plan, which was developed specifically to provide parental support to the child. A divorce coach helps in developing constructive communication protocols between former spouses and for the two to better understand their roles and boundaries in the performance of their duty as parents to their child or children.

Child Specialist

A child specialist works by helping the parents make good use of their parenting skills to protect and provide their child’s best interest and well-being. A child specialist processes the child’s mental and emotional state to protect them from feeling guilty or confused. The specialist also helps children articulate or verbalise their thoughts while helping them remain kids even with heavy adult stuff happening around them.

The child specialist draws out the child to talk about his or her experience during the divorce process and even after it and allows the child to find solutions to challenges the child encounters during the ordeal. The specialist helps the child identify his or her strengths and find meaning as the new sense of family and its arrangements unfold.

Child Therapist

Divorce and separation can sometimes affect children severely, that if not properly processed, the effects can cause behavioural, mental, and emotional disorders. In this case, a child therapist will be required. A child therapist focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental or behavioural disorders of a child ranging from depression to schizophrenia.

Unlike child specialists, child therapists work in a clinical setting, such as in hospitals or private facilities where tests and interviews are conducted. If necessary, child therapists also provide family psychotherapy. If substance abuse is involved, a child therapist may also develop an intervention or treatment plan. Children with trauma or phobia are treated with a behaviour modification program.

Takeaway Ideas

There are other available options for children from divorced parents. These options will help keep the mental and emotional health of a child during and even after the divorce process.

Those who have undergone divorce and separation can also opt for individual therapy, couples therapy, or family therapy, while there is family mediation to help former spouses settle issues related to the child.

There are also legal remedies to support the need for professional help for children. Consult a family lawyer to help you with the process and refer you to the right professionals or therapists who can assist you with your needs.