Alberta Divorce Information

Keeping children’s needs first.

Children are often caught between divorcing parents. To protect children from this tug of war, Collaborative Divorce places their interests foremost and makes their needs a matter of mutual agreement. Collaborative Divorce also helps you develop a workable parenting plan to determine sharing arrangements and consider your children’s needs as they mature.

Collaborative Divorce also addresses the long-term impact of separation or divorce on children. This impact can manifest itself in various ways: kids may have difficulty understanding what is happening and why; they may be unable to express their feelings; they may become – and stay – angry or resentful, or develop behavioural problems at home or school. Collaborative Divorce Professionals in Alberta include child specialists on the Collaborative team to help you minimize the potential harm to your children.

A neutral child specialist can help you deal with a host of sensitive issues, including:

• How to bring up the impending divorce in an age-appropriate way
• How to answer your children’s questions
• How to communicate effectively what children should know, yet protect them from what they should not hear
• How to keep the children out of the middle of your struggles and disagreements
• How to avoid competing for your children’s attention
• How to show respect for each other in front of your children
• How to model respectful dispute resolution for your children

Adolescents or young adults need age-appropriate care, too. A neutral child specialist can give them a voice in the Collaborative process so they can share their needs and concerns, and participate in creating and following an effective parenting plan.

While divorce may be unavoidable, a restructured family can build up positive benefits for your children over the long term.