Co-Parenting Assistance

Nothing is as important as the health, wellbeing, and future of our children.  There are many ways to effectively parent and reconciling those differences can be a stressful aspect of being a couple.  Differences in parenting style, as well as disagreements over child-related decisions and financial commitments, often predate a parental separation.  Those differences don’t necessarily decrease when parents divorce or decide not to live together.  In fact, when families with children decide to live separately they often work even harder to co-parent than when they lived in the same home.  With the parenting style differences often unresolved before separating households and without the opportunity for ongoing, informal conversation, parents may find that their disagreements increase.  If the separation or divorce is emotionally difficult, as this significant life transition often is, those differences may lead to tremendous distress for parents and children.

Co-parenting consultation

Co-parenting consultation can assist parents with:

• Establishing and maintaining a co-parent role
• Understanding the impact of parent conflict on children
• Developing a child-focused co-parent perspective
• Building effective communication skills
• Learning how to avoid conflict or to defuse it when it occurs
• Gaining problem-solving and negotiation strategies
• Implementing the parenting plan

Co-parenting consultation isn’t just for separating or divorcing parents.  This service is also useful for couples who are remaining together but struggling in the co-parenting aspect of the relationship.  It is also useful for grandparent to parent co-parenting teams or other family constellations.

Parenting Plan Consultation

When parents or parent-figures are raising children together in separate homes, a clear parenting plan that delineates parenting responsibilities, decision-making processes, time sharing, and other important matters, is imperative.  In many states, including Florida, a parenting plan document is required.  Dr. Parnell has extensive experience with parenting plans, including the creation, implementation, and revision of plans to meet the needs of a particular family.  As part of co-parenting assistance or as a separate service, Dr. Parnell can assist parents with creation or revision of a parenting plan.  When parents are unable to work together on their plan, Dr. Parnell can assist one parent with ideas and options to present to the other parent for consideration.