Cooperative Parenting

Co-Parent Counseling is a form of psychotherapy for divorcing or divorced parents who are seeking assistance with their co-parenting relationship. As a form of therapy, both parents are considered the clients and therefore may claim privilege. The therapist may not be subpoenaed to testify unless both parties agree to waive their rights of confidentiality. Although the process and goals may appear similar to parenting coordination, the differences must be clarified before determining the appropriate service for the family. Many professionals do not understand the important differences. This may lead to unreasonable expectations. If the parties are high-conflict or require more involvement and monitoring, it is better to error on the side of caution by recommending parenting coordination rather than co-parent counseling. The chart below clarifies the difference between co-parent counseling and parenting coordination.

	Parent Coordinator	Co-Parent Counselor
The service is generally provided by a licensed psychotherapist	YES	YES
The process educates parents on the impact of conflict on their child	YES	YES
It is considered a form of psychotherapy	NO	YES
It is considered a confidential process	NO	YES
Parents are considered the "clients"	NO	YES
Parents may fire provider at any point without feedback to attorneys	NO	YES
Requires an official appointment	YES	NO
Requires specialized training	YES	NO
Provider will be available to the families for child focused emergencies 24/7	YES	NO
Provider may coordinate with all other professionals involved	YES	NO
Provider monitors parental behaviors	YES	NO
Provider monitors compliance with court order/settlement agreement	YES	NO
Provider ensures parental access to the child	YES	NO
Provider may investigate parental allegations	YES	NO
Provider may have authority to require outside services	YES	NO
Provider may have authority to make temporary minor adjustments	YES	NO
Provider may or may not have authority to temporarily arbitrate parental impasses	YES	NO
Provider may report non compliance to both attorneys	YES	NO
When ordered to do so, provider may send final report to the court/attorneys	YES	NO
Provider may do home visits if applicable	YES	NO
Provider assists parents in creating a parenting plan (pre or post divorce)	YES	NO
Process uses educational materials	YES	NO
Provider may testify in the child's best interest	YES	NO
Process requires parents to return in the future prior to re-litigating	YES	NO
Provider works as an advocate for the child	YES	MAY
Process includes significant others as needed	YES	MAY
Process uses mediation skills to resolve parental disputes	YES	MAY
Provider teaches conflict resolution skills to participants	YES	MAY
The process keeps parents accountable	YES	NO

Back to Top of Page

Divorce Mediation

A confidential, nonadversarial process for bringing about agreement between two parents. At the CPI, mediation services focus on developing an age appropriate parenting plan that meets the needs of the children and the family. Financial issues associated with divorce are not addressed through the CPI. Copies of parenting plans are emailed to the respective attorneys for review. They are encouraged to incorporate the parenting plan with the financial settlement.

Back to Top of Page

Collaborative Law Services

Those seeking a non-adversarial divorce may choose a collaborative approach. A collaborative divorce is a non-adversarial process that involves a team of professionals committed to the best interest of the family. Parents are required to sign a participation agreement that prevents team members from litigating the divorce. Also, by signing this agreement, parents make a commitment to participate in honest negotiations, and focus on minimizing the adverse effects of divorce on their family. If either parent breaks the participation agreement, team members terminates their involvement with the family. The information gathered during this process may not be subpoenaed. The Links & Resources page highlights resources for additional information on the collaborative process.

A Divorce Coach and Child Specialist are professionals who are members of the collaborative team. The divorce coach provides individual support and guidance to the adult while the child specialist provides the support to the child. The child specialist also provides the necessary information to the parents and their attorneys regarding the child's individual needs. This allows the team to work the parents in creating an age-appropriate parenting plan for that unique family.

Back to Top of Page

Counseling & Psychotherapy

Counseling and Psychotherapy services are provided for adults, children, families and step-families through the Institute or through Family Solutions located at the same address.

During the months of August-May, the Atlanta CPI branch offers free (or reduced rate) counseling services as part of the supervision of Georgia State University graduate counseling students.

Back to Top of Page

Supervision and Consultation

Susan Boyan and Ann Marie Termini offer consultation services to attorneys, parent coordinators, therapists and special masters. E-mail and phone consultations are also available. These brief consultations are designed to address a specific issue associated with a difficult case, a management concern or a topic germane to the implementation of the group program. E-mails are generally reviewed on a weekly basis.

In addition, telephone consultation services are available. Arrangements may be made directly with either Susan or Ann Marie. The professional will arrange a time and be responsible for calling Susan or Ann Marie.

Susan may be reached at susanboyan@gmail.com or (404) 315-7474 Ext 1 (Atlanta, Georgia)

Ann Marie may be reached at coparent@yahoo.com or (570) 586-5669 (Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania)

Back to Top of Page

Send mail to coparent@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this website

Last modified: 08/16/2007