Children see the physical and emotional split happening between their parents, and then try to adjust to conflicting parental messages, disruptions in stability and consistency, and the possibility of blended family issues. It is common for children and adolescents to act-out or deteriorate due to misguided feelings of self-blame and guilt, or as a means to bring parents back together, heroically attempting to restore the lost family. Parents need strong support and guidance as they make their own transitions into new individual and parenting roles.

Through a therapeutic focus on divorce issues, children and adolescents have learned:

• To reduce feelings of guilt and to recognize, they are not the cause of their parents divorce
• Positive coping and adjustment strategies to altered family roles and rules
• Identify loss, sadness, anger, and fear in ways that promote healthy expression
• To develop a sense of hope about the future and about relationships
• My work with parents dealing with divorce issues focuses on:

Divorce is a traumatic experience for the whole family. The adolescent years can seem overwhelming to any teen, and particularly to adolescents dealing with their parents' divorce. The separation of parental figures can have a tremendous effect on a child's safety, security, and stability. This change in family structure and consistency can feel as if a death had occurred. An end and loss to the relationship now represents a new life of uncertainty and fear.

In many situations, a child will internalize their fears and develop new ways to express their emotions. Children and adolescents can become defiant, reserved, develop drug and substance issues, perform poorly at school, and associate with other troubled kids that find inappropriate ways to articulate their fears and anger. Even if your teen or child is accustomed to your specific arrangement: bouncing between Mom and Dad, having only one custodial parent, or possibly, dealing with stepsibling rivalry- new concerns may emerge during these years.

There are four basic goals to achieve when working with children who have experienced a parental divorce. The first is to provide the child or adolescent the opportunity to discuss thoughts and feelings and to communicate their concerns. The second is to normalize divorce as a common occurrence that is experienced by other children. The third is to assist the children in developing an appropriate understanding of their position in the process of divorce. The fourth is to assist the child or adolescent in finding a healthy way to express their emotions to ones they love.

To learn more, visit my website at DrRandiFredricks.com or call .