What does Child-Centered mean for a high-conflict parenting class? What successful outcomes can you expect from the High Conflict Parenting Class: Reconnecting and Reunifying with your child at Family Connections Therapy?
Children Get Lost in the Divorce Battle
Divorce and custody disputes tend to center on the parents and their needs. Parents’ needs are essential, and how they navigate this process impacts the whole family. However, when two people, or four if you include the parents’ attorneys, are fighting, the children’s needs can get lost. Parents tend only to have enough energy to focus on the battle. It makes sense for parents to miss what is going on with their children through this very stressful time. It just takes a lot of energy to fight, period.
Taking the Child-Centered Approach in High Conflict Parenting Class
What does child-centered mean then in the context of a high-conflict parenting class? First, it’s a concept to allow the parents to step back from their fight, take a break and look at what their child emotionally needs. Of course, you are taking care of your child’s basic needs, like food, shelter, and clothing. In this context, it’s about your child’s emotions. It helps to put aside the dispute when spending time with your child. In other words, picture the Dispute and time with your child as two separate events.
If you can picture a Courtroom battle scene as a separate arena from the Bubble you go into when talking to your child, it might help you keep things separate. Separating those two areas is a difficult stretch for parents. However, as San Diego reunification therapists we know that the payoff is worth it.
When parents can separate their emotions from one arena to another, here’s what can happen:
- Parents will be able to concentrate on what their child is saying and feeling
- Parents focusing on children’s emotions allow them to be more emotionally present for their child
- Parental emotional presence helps to keep children out of the middle of a parental dispute
- Children will have fewer negative symptoms during a custody dispute
- The conflict between children and their parents will be reduced.
- The conflict between the parents may be reduced.
How Can Conflict be Reduced Between Two Disputing Parents When the Parents Center on the Child’s Emotional Needs?
Parents can calm down when they are there emotionally for their children. Why is that? Calming one part of a family system down tends to have a ripple effect on the whole system.
Just like fighting between two family members can stress out the whole family, increasing calm between the two members makes the family system less stressed. That’s an amazing outcome that would be a fantastic result of just stepping back to be with your child emotionally.
Successful Outcomes From a High-Conflict Parenting Class?
Parents understand that reaching a child through emotional connections can help to rebuild their relationship:
- Parents are more emotionally attuned and understand their child’s feelings
- They become more comfortable with all feelings and recognize they are important to their child
Parents start to apply new skills of emotional connections and notice that their children are calmer and more open to contact with them.
- They listen to understand children’s emotions and perspective
- Parents can express empathy, even when children are angry
- Children open up when around parents more
- Children have less anger toward their parents
Parents can separate any litigious disputes from the time they spend with their children:
- They understand the time with their children’s needs to be without speaking negatively about the co-parent
- Parents can focus on their children and avoid expressing emotions from a custody dispute or details about a legal situation.
- They do not share details about what is going on in court
Parents are not defensive about the child’s accusations or narrative:
- They can apply their active listening skills when a child is making accusations within the child’s narrative
- Parents understand the importance of listening and being empathetic instead of arguing “facts” with their child
- They can keep their negative emotions out of their time with their children
Join Our High Conflict Parenting Class in San Diego, CA
Our compassionate therapists can help you find a way to calm your family system down and improve your relationship with your child through our high-conflict parenting course, Reconnecting and Reunifying with your child. If you want to make sure your child doesn’t get lost in the fighting and ensure their emotional needs are being met then follow these steps:
- Click the link to show that you want to join a high-conflict parenting course or call (858) 776-8804
- Someone from Family Connections Therapy will reach out to you and walk you through the process of signing up
- Connect with your child in a way that meets their needs
Other Services At Family Connections Therapy in California
In our San Diego-based therapy practice, we offer lots of options to support your mental health, including children’s therapy, therapy for ADHD, attachment and healthy development, and play therapy. In addition, we offer LGBTQIA+ and transgender therapy for kids and teens. For adults, we offer individual therapy, depression treatment, and more! Our caring therapists also offer online therapy, family therapy, couples therapy, and reunification therapy. Reach out now to learn more about our counseling services!
