Reunification therapy (RT) is often court-ordered for separated or divorced families, where there is a favored parent and a rejected parent. The goal of reunification therapy is to restore a disrupted parent-child relationship. While the term is commonly used in the court systems, there are actually no standard therapeutic protocols for “reunification therapy,” so every therapist or counselor is free …
Pathways Through Conflict: Learning Effective Communication in High-Conflict Situations
Separation and divorce are hard! Emotions are always running high, conflict is inevitable, and reactionary outbursts sometimes cause irreparable damage. It is all too easy for the situation to become a runaway train mowing down everything in its path, leaving you struggling to co-parent through the carnage. Even worse, lawyers and judges are sometimes forced to make the decisions for …
Setting the Stage for Success with “Reunification Therapy”
Rejection from a child is one of the most devastating things a parent can experience. When your child chooses not to be a part of your life, it is incredibly challenging not to become overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. Far too often, parents feel as though they’ve lost all control over their situation, feeling “stuck” in a state of …
How do I ensure my alienated child is seeing the “right” therapist?
I notice a common theme among the parents that I work with…they are suffering from the trauma of being rejected by a child, and they are adamant about their child seeing a therapist. I don’t disagree that therapy may help their child. However, one of the biggest mistakes I see these parents make is trusting the therapist is qualified to …