Therapy will help children with divorced parents as divorce affects children in many ways. However much we may want to ignore this fact, and no matter how amicable divorce is, it inevitably has a powerful effect on the children. Counseling can be a huge help at this time as a way to minimize the negative effect on children. It can provide them with the kind of unbiased attention, empathy, and space to express how things really are for them, which parents may find difficult to offer when they are themselves going through great turmoil, stress, and painful change.

Counseling for children during divorce provides: 

• A designated time and place that the child can go. This ‘space’ acts as their temporary security. The space acts as a safe space to them whilst the family is going through the process of separation and change.
• An adult they can talk to, who will listen with full attention, who gives them their undivided attention, and with whom the focus is only on them. Talk does not necessarily have to be about the family, the parents, or even about the separation. It could include what’s happening at school or with friends. This ensures the child maintains some sense of normality and a degree of ongoing connection with daily life.
• The family counselor also plays an important role here. With the counselor, the child/children are able to process their day-to-day and deeper feelings, talk about their confusion and ask questions that they may not necessarily feel able to ask of their parents.
• The family counselor can work with all the children in the family to secure good relationships between siblings.
• The family counselor can work with the child to help them process the loss and grief they inevitably feel around the divorce and all the subsequent changes.

Counseling a child whose parents are divorcing can be counterproductive if therapy is forced. Thus, a child needs to be ready for the therapy firstly. During or after the divorce, children should get some time to cope with the new situation. Just like grown-ups, to subdue the effects of divorce on children, they need to be tackled effectively and with more attention on them. Counseling a child whose parents are divorcing needs expert. The counselor firstly needs to gain the confidence of the child and then only therapy can proceed positively. Once trust is established, therapy becomes easier. The therapist here accepts the child unconditionally and listens to them non judgementally with empathetic understanding, this is the key to entering a child’s heart. The counselor creates a safe space for the child to talk. 

It’s always better to get one. When family bonds may seem uncertain, it’s important to make sure that your kids know that they are loved and that there are people ready to help them through these uncertain times. Different children will have different needs, and a counselor can help pinpoint how best to help kids through divorce. Sometimes, in counseling, kids and parents can work together to form new routines and keep the bonds between children and parents strong. It’s also important for parents to understand when a professional’s help might be needed. It’s hard for parents to stay neutral during divorce proceedings, and in some cases, this could have an effect on a child’s perceptions of their parents and divorce in general.

           Counseling individuals and families experiencing divorce is difficult to work, often fraught with conflict that is challenging to contain. A great amount of anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness may be present for all of the people involved, including one or both of the spouses and the children. A child specialist helps parents use their parenting skills to protect their children’s well-being and sense of security both during the divorce and in the first few years after the divorce whereas a child specialist gives children a “voice” during this difficult time. It provides children a chance to express what’s working and what’s hurting to someone who cares without putting these children in the middle of parental conflict. Having a trained professional talk with children avoids putting them in the position of feeling guilty about their experience and feelings, feeling like they have to take care of one parent over another, or feeling like they have too much power in a situation in which they simply need to be kids. The child specialist talks with children about the typical experiences of divorce and family change. He or she often helps children find solutions to challenges, identify strengths that reflect their developmental stage, and support a positive view of a future once the change settles and a new sense of family takes hold.

Separation and divorce are hard on parents and children. Psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors can help your children go through this period in the healthiest way possible.