Integrated Child and Parent Divorce Class Offered in Jefferson County

• Publication year: 2002
• Pages: 89
• Citation: Vol. 31 No. 5 Pg. 89

31 Colo.Law. 89 Colorado Lawyer 2002.

2002, May, Pg. 89. Integrated Child and Parent Divorce Class Offered in Jefferson County

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89

Vol. 31, No. 5, Pg. 89

The Colorado Lawyer
May 2002
Vol. 31, No. 5 [Page 89]

Specialty Law Columns
Family Law Newsletter
Integrated Child and Parent Divorce Class Offered in Jefferson County
by Douglas Hanze, Karen Jamieson-Darr
C 2002 Douglas Hanze and Karen Jamieson-Darr

This column is sponsored by the CBA Family Law Section to provide information to family law practitioners. Articles are intended to focus on practice tips and discussions of current issues within the realm of family law. New column authors are welcomed

Column Editors

Bonnie M. Schriner, a sole practitioner in mediation and arbitration, Denver?(303) 458-5100, bmjs@ix.netcom.com Gretchen Aultman, of Burns, Wall, Smith & Mueller, P.C., Denver?(303) 830-7000, gaultman@bwsm.com

About TheAuthors:

This month's article was written by Douglas Hanze?(303) 933-9258?and Karen Jamieson-Darr?(303) 986-1800?child clinical psychologists who work primarily with children, adolescents, and families.

A new program to help parents, children, and adolescents better manage the impact divorce has on the family is being offered in Jefferson County. This article describes the program goals and curriculum.

This article describes the development and content of a new program for children, adolescents, and parents in the midst of divorce. Family law practitioners should be aware of the existence of this program, which is on the cutting edge of interventions for children and adolescents going through divorce. Also, familiarization with the class curriculum and goals may help practitioners and, in turn, parents become sensitive to the developmental needs of children and adolescents as they face the challenges of divorce. This three-hour class is being offered by the authors at the Jefferson County Courthouse on alternate Thursdays.

History of the Program

In 1999, Judge Ruthanne Polidori of the First Judicial District Court brought together a group of professionals to develop a child and adolescent component to the current court-ordered parenting classes for divorcing parents.1 One of the purposes of the group was to determine whether providing direct services to children and adolescents would be a more effective way of helping them cope with the difficulties of divorce. The goal was to develop an integrated curriculum for parents and children and to formally evaluate the effectiveness of such a class.2

The Initial Program

To qualify to attend the class, families had to have separated in the last two years, children needed to be ages 7 to 17, and both parents had to reside in Colorado. It was felt that the children younger than 7 would have a difficult time understanding and processing the information provided during the class.

Initially, the content of the course focused on the divorce process and how to cope with all of the changes that were occurring in the family's life. There were videos, discussions, and some learning activities for the children and adolescents. Children and adolescents were encouraged to identify and express the various emotions that they had been experiencing and to learn ways to cope with the changes in their lives.

Emotions and coping strategies generated by each child and adolescent group were listed on white display boards and shared with the parents during a joint session. The parents were given guidelines on the divorce process so that they might avoid common problems (for example, talking negatively about the other parent or putting the child in the middle). They also were given information about emotional reactions to divorce, developmental information, and suggestions for helping their children and adolescents cope with the divorce process. The feedback from the participants, especially the parents, was positive, and provided ideas about how to refine the class.

The structure of the three-hour divorce class was as follows There were...