More than one million children each year are affected by divorce and family separation. Half of these children will be raised in families where parents remain in conflict. These parents engaged in ongoing litigation over their children for years. Children raised in an atmosphere of unrelenting conflict are four to five times as likely to grow-up with serious emotional and behavioral difficulties. Not only are high-conflict cases damaging to innocent children, they require an inordinate amount of court time and mental health services. Consequently, high-conflict divorces pose grave concerns for mental health and legal professionals.
In order to minimize the adverse effects of divorce on children and families, many parents have been ordered to work with a parent coordinator.
Parenting Coordination is a profession designed to assist parents establish and maintain a healthy relationship by reducing parental conflict and the risk factors that influence a child’s post-divorce adjustment. It is an extensive service intended for trained mediator to use in collaboration with the courts. Through education, mediation and case management, the family’s progress is monitored to ensure that parents are fulfilling their obligations to their children.
Since 2000, Jean George has worked as a Parent Coordinator and Visitation Supervisor in conjunction with Family Court in the State of Rhode Island. As a court appointed Parent Coordinator she skillfully establishes appropriate methods of communication, cooperation in decision making, and civility in matters dealing with the children of parent’s whose level of hostility necessitates intervention.
As a Visitation Supervisor she supervises visits with parents who are under court order or to be supervised during visitation. She has successfully worked with parents and children to reestablish, improve, and strengthen their relationships and bonds in a normal community setting.
Coordinator Qualifications and Responsibilities
Qualifications include training and experience in the following different disciplines:
- Developmental psychology
- Children's adjustment issues specific to divorce
- Conflict resolution
- Mediation techniques
- Communication theory
- Legal aspects of divorce
- Domestic violence
The role of the parent coordinator is to assist both parents and any significant others resolve conflict in a manner that is beneficial to their child(ren). The parent coordinator has the following responsibilities:
Education of the Parents
- Educates parents regarding the impact of parental conflict on the child's development.
- Teaches parents communication and negotiation skills and children's issues in divorce.
Parenting Assistance
- Assists parents in shifting their role from former spouses to co-parents.
- Helps parents identify their contribution to conflict while increasing impulse control.
- Identifies the impasses to effective communication and designs interventions to overcome these impasses.
- Recognizes the therapeutic needs of the family members and makes the appropriate referrals.
- Assesses the emotional impact of parental behaviors on the child.
Monitoring Responsibilities
- Advocates for and safeguards the emotional and physical needs of the child.
- Monitors time sharing arrangement and, when necessary, temporarily modifies these plans as a means of reducing inter-parental conflict.
- Ensures that both parents maintain an ongoing relationship with their child.
- Observes parenting effectiveness.
Mediation Responsibilities
- Mediates parenting concerns in order to reach a consensus.
- Works with parents in developing a detailed plan for issues such as time sharing, discipline, decisions-making procedures, extracurricular activities and communication.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PARENT COORDINATION VISIT:
Macktaz & George LLC
Divorce Mediation
105 Sockanosset Crossroads
Suit 318
Cranston, RI 02920 - MAP
(401) 942-3000
FREE CONSULTATION
Your first mediation session will be a complimentary face to face meeting where we will meet with both parties. This is a free consultation. We use this initial meeting as an opportunity to describe our mediation process and answer intial questions you may have.
Post Divorce Parenting Coordination
Macktaz & George Divorce Mediation - 105 Sockanosset Crossroads, Suit 318, Cranston, RI 02920 - (401) 942-3000
"Thank you for making this year one of true happiness and joy. My daughter and I are eternally grateful for your help." - R. Newport
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Rhode Island Divorce Mediation and Parent Coordination
MACKTAZ & GEORGE MEDIATION LLC
401-942-3000
