Separation and Divorce

This article describes the services a psychologist can provide for parents, children and/or the courts when families transition through separation and divorce. While the following descriptions provide a range of alternatives, it is likely that lawyers will encounter situations that do not neatly fit into any one area. Each family is a unique and dynamic system that requires services tailored to meet their distinctive needs. Professional services must be personalized if they are to be intentional, consequential, and successful. When counsel or their clients engage the services of a psychologist it is prudent to clarify responsibilities and objectives. The parameters of the service to be provided must be clearly delineated and agreed upon by all parties. The types of agreements to be reached can vary. They can range from a simple agreement with parents to address child/parent adjustment issues in therapy, to a more complex multi-faceted retainer agreement regarding a…

Stephen Carter, Ph.D., C.Psych. Carol Chandler, M.Ed., C.Psych. Leonard L. Stewin, Ph.D., C.Psych. March 20, 2002 Presented at the inaugural meeting of the Alberta Roundtable on Family Law Helping Children and Their Families   Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress – such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. (American Psychological Association, 2002)   The Concept of Resilience According to the American Psychological Association (2002) resilience is an ordinary characteristic of individuals, not an extraordinary one. Resilient children are those who do not develop psychological symptoms and mental health problems when faced with stress (Pearce & Pezzot-Pearce, 1997). Many factors are seen to contribute to individual resilience that are both inherent to the child and come from their social support network/environment. Parents…