Is it divorce or parental discord that most damages children? Answers are finally coming in!

A recent article by marriage and family therapist Ruth Bettelheim has much to say on this topic that is both relevant and, quite surprising for many. That’s because she refutes common misconceptions about divorce and addresses the real issues of concern.

According to Bettelheim, “Studies conducted in the past 20 years have shown that on all meaningful measures of success — social, economic, intellectual and psychological — most adult children from divorced families are (Continue Reading …)

The Opportunity of Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day a big part of this month, I’m sharing with you commentary written by my friend Lisheyna S. Hurvitz M.A. Ed., a licensed mental health counselor in private practice in Boca Raton, FL.

Every February we get reminded that Valentine’s Day is close by which means love is “in the air” — or is it? People start going through their mental lists of who they love, who loves them and will they or won’t they have a special Valentine this year.

This day can especially wreck havoc with those that have recently separated, divorced, (Continue Reading …)

Amy Sherman, LMHC is one of the contributors to Rosalind Sedacca’s new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children — with Love! Here she shares some of her wisdom based on her private practice and years of working with pre-teen and teen populations.

Parenting is a continual learning process, which is compounded when you are going through a divorce. Not only does it require an understanding of the child’s needs and the skills to meet those needs, but it requires additional special attention. Talking to your children about the divorce could be one of the most difficult (Continue Reading …)

By Paul Wanio, PhD, LMFT

For children, there is a fine line between fantasy and reality. Their imaginations are very powerful and they may see unreal monsters that live in closets or under beds which inspire real fears. They will also believe that their thoughts can cause real events to happen “magically.”

For example, if a child is angry at one of his/her parents and that parent is hurt or has an accident, the child may feel secretly guilty and responsible for “causing” the accident (or divorce) because of (Continue Reading …)