“Your Divorce Coach will help you to keep your children central to the whole process”
Chapters 13,14 and 15 of the Divorce Manual provide you with a wealth of information, guidance and documents to support you and the other parent to work together in mediation, creating your own Parent Plans and child arrangements.
Again, it can make all the difference to be able to work with your Coach, as you navigate the challenging world of separation and co-parenting, working with the other parent (and other child and parenting experts) in and outside mediation.
Your Coach will have the experience and tools to support you and your former partner individually (or together, in some cases) before, during and in between mediation sessions, to communicate and develop a parenting plan that works for both of you and your children.
They can also work with you and your former partner individually (or together, in some cases) supporting you to work together as a ‘coparenting unit’.
Here are some of the way coaches can support you, depending on their skills and experience:
- Acting as your guide to the relevant communication and parenting chapters of the Divorce Manual and other important resources, helping you to make the most of these.
- Signposting you to the most appropriate Parenting and communication programmes and tools (provided by various agencies and organisations) to meet your specific needs and the challenges of your situation.
- Helping you and your former partner, working with you individually and together, to maximise on lessons learned from any Parenting programme(s) you have (both) attended, information you have been signposted to and any tools you are using, to improve communication and construct a successful Parenting plan.
- Helping you to work with other child or parenting experts, working in a different capacity to the Coach such as Direct Child Consultants (See chapter 14) working directly with your children.
- Working with you and your former partner, if and when required, to ensure that the Parenting plan works well for both parents and the children, as it develops and adapts to the situation, helping you both to navigate the challenges and avoid the need to revert to the legal system and courts
- Providing specialist information and support such as in the case of ‘child rejection of parent’ behaviours ie Parental alienation.
If you have any questions or want more information about how a Coach can help and support you, please speak to one.
Your mediator should be able to recommend a suitable coach to you, with the skills and experience for you and your situation.