Empowering Children through Divorce:
Therapy and Guidance at Helping Children
A divorce is an unfortunate end of a marriage but it is not the end of a family. One of the biggest concerns for parents is understanding how their separation or divorce will impact their children. They worry about their children’s confidence in relationships, trust in adults and how their divorce will affect their children’s future.
Reality is, the adults have control over the decisions that are being made and sometimes their kids can feel like their whole world has turned upside down. Some children struggle with understanding why their parents’ marriage is ending and have feelings of guilt, anger, and/ or loss. Other children struggle with the changes they are experiencing; becoming anxious and fearful as they adjust to two homes. In a contentious separation or divorce, parents can be so focused on their emotional distress that their children can become causalities of a divorce war that no one really wins. In these cases, children can feel isolated or caught in between the parents they love, and can be distressed by their parents’ conflict. Even in a co-operative divorce, children are still processing a significant change in their relationship with each parent and their living environment.
It is important for parents to remember that their children are incredibly resilient, and the strengths they have instilled in their kids before the separation will help them adjust to their changing family structure. However, some children will need professional support to work through this difficult time in their life.
At the Helping Children Clinic, Child Psychology Services for children experiencing divorce includes two primary components: Child Therapy and Parent Coaching. Individual or sibling child therapy helps children process their feelings, clarify any misunderstandings and adjust to the changes in their lives. Parent Coaching sessions, offered either collaboratively or individually, help parents realise and respond to their children’s needs.
It is important for parents to note that there are separate files for each parent and each child. As well, please understand that Dr. Johnson’s role is to develop a therapeutic relationship with the children and help them process this transition. Therefore, Dr. Johnson requires both parents to review and agree to a Custody/Access Dispute Contract that outlines the limitations of her role in present/future custody/access disputes before an intake session will be scheduled.
Reality is, the adults have control over the decisions that are being made and sometimes their kids can feel like their whole world has turned upside down. Some children struggle with understanding why their parents’ marriage is ending and have feelings of guilt, anger, and/ or loss. Other children struggle with the changes they are experiencing; becoming anxious and fearful as they adjust to two homes. In a contentious separation or divorce, parents can be so focused on their emotional distress that their children can become causalities of a divorce war that no one really wins. In these cases, children can feel isolated or caught in between the parents they love, and can be distressed by their parents’ conflict. Even in a co-operative divorce, children are still processing a significant change in their relationship with each parent and their living environment.
It is important for parents to remember that their children are incredibly resilient, and the strengths they have instilled in their kids before the separation will help them adjust to their changing family structure. However, some children will need professional support to work through this difficult time in their life.
At the Helping Children Clinic, Child Psychology Services for children experiencing divorce includes two primary components: Child Therapy and Parent Coaching. Individual or sibling child therapy helps children process their feelings, clarify any misunderstandings and adjust to the changes in their lives. Parent Coaching sessions, offered either collaboratively or individually, help parents realise and respond to their children’s needs.
It is important for parents to note that there are separate files for each parent and each child. As well, please understand that Dr. Johnson’s role is to develop a therapeutic relationship with the children and help them process this transition. Therefore, Dr. Johnson requires both parents to review and agree to a Custody/Access Dispute Contract that outlines the limitations of her role in present/future custody/access disputes before an intake session will be scheduled.
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Dr. Johnson has carefully chosen these resource books for use in therapy and parent coaching sessions
due to their effectiveness in assisting families during this challenging period. 
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