Talking to Children about Divorce: A Parents’ Guidebook to Helping Your Children through This Transition
The idea of this book was sparked by my work as a clinical psychologist working with parents who were concerned about their children’s wellbeing as a result of their divorce.
Parents tended to find script examples very useful to them. I thought to myself, “I wish I had something that parents can take home to refer back to.” That was the thought that launched this book project. The result is a handy ebook available on Amazon, illustrated to make the ideas more intuitively accessible.
Click here to find this book on Amazon!
The premise of this book is that although divorce is challenging for children, there is a lot YOU CAN DO to mitigate the negative impacts and help your children cope with this transition.
This book describes the implications of divorce on children, the logistical and psychological matters concerning the announcement of your divorce, and the practical side of communication between you and your children (so you know what communicating to them about divorce could sound like).
A special feature of this book is the generous use of scripts as examples to underscore key messages that need to be communicated to your children to calm their anxieties and to facilitate adaptive coping.
It also illustrates common thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that you might encounter in your children around the time of divorce, what they mean, and how you can respond in ways that address your children’s underlying concerns and sooth their worries.
The information related to child psychology (e.g., how consistency, reassurance and other parenting techniques facilitate adaptive coping in children) will help you understand the reasonings and considerations behind the verbal responses and courses of action suggested within the book.
Because my intention was to make this book quick and easy to read, its scope is limited. Its aim is to find a relatively effective way to help you support your children through your divorce in ways that are reassuring, constructive, and developmentally appropriate.
My experience tells me that once parents have a clearer sense of what their children need and what they can do and say to help their children, they feel better and more confident. They also feel more settled when they have script examples to model on (otherwise they tend to feel slightly lost). An important part of my work has been to support parents by showing them what they can say when they want to comfort and support their children. This book is my attempt to make this kind of help available outside of my office.
Click here to find this book on Amazon!
10% of the profits will be donated to charities serving children.