Parents Living Together After Divorce

Parents Living Together After Divorce by Lauren Behrman

Some time ago, I read an article in the Washington Post entitled, “My Parents Divorced Yet Continued to Live Together.” The author, Mekita Rivas, whose divorced parents lived together for 10 years post-divorce, wrote about the confusion and complications of their choices and the impact on her as a child.

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I’ll Call You Back — Unless I Was Once Married to You

I'll Call You Back — Unless I Was Once Married to You by Lauren BehrmanRecently, a colleague reached out to one of her clients and heard the following voicemail message:

Hi, this is Donna, sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. [pause]. Unless I was once married to you.

The  message’s message is clear: speaking to an ex-spouse is not something that Donna (or many people) want to do. Read More

Graduation Season: Are You and Your Former Spouse Ready?

Graduation Season: Are You and Your Former Spouse Ready? by Lauren BehrmanCollege graduation season is upon us. There is less hands-on parenting with college-age children, and many have matured into young adults. Yet, regardless of a child’s maturity, it is important that parents do not neglect their responsibility to proactively ensure a special experience — one that is untarnished by awkwardness and conflict. Read More

Telling the Kids? Sit Down and Talk it Through First

Telling the Kids? Sit Down and Talk it Through First by Lauren BehrmanI recently had one of the most moving and powerful experiences of my career with a high-conflict divorced couple and their 7-year-old child (identifying information has been changed). Filled with tremendous gratitude, I want to share it as an example of why it is so important to be intentional, careful, and collaborative when explaining divorce to children.

In this case, the parents have been living separately for almost 2 years. The initial separation immediately followed a violent episode that involved the police. As a result, an order of protection was in place precluding the parents from being in the same room, emailing, or calling each other. Read More

Looking Through the Eyes of a Child Whose Parents are in Deep Conflict

Looking Through the Eyes of a Child Whose Parents are in Deep Conflict by Lauren BehrmanWhen we think of the ripple effects of divorce, we tend to think about the effects on the immediate family — the children of the divorcing couple in particular.

Divorce not only affects the nuclear family, but extends from generation to generation. In this article, I will share a colleague’s story about the profound and devastating effects of divorce on her and her family. Her hope in sharing this, as is ours at My Divorce Recovery, is that parents can focus their energies on progress and teamwork — rather than conflict. Read More

Resolving to Create Deep Peace for Your Children

Resolving to Create Deep Peace for Your Children by Lauren BehrmanJanuary was “National Child-Centered Divorce Month,” and we can take this opportunity to look in the rearview mirror and ask ourselves what type of parents we have been. Are we parents who provide our children with the best we have to offer—including fostering the healthiest relationship possible with the other parent?   Read More

Turning Holiday Breakdowns into Breakthroughs

Turning Holiday Breakdowns into Breakthroughs by Lauren BehrmanDuring this past Halloween, I was reminded that this holiday is often a flashpoint for conflict between parents who are divorcing or have already divorced. In many of the families that I work with, there were issues around the timing and act of trick-or-treating, costumes, dinner, etc. Read More

Parental Communication: How to Talk with One Another

Jeff Zimmerman and Lauren Behrman’s Family Advocate article is available here.

Family Advocate Article 2015

My Divorce Recovery

Jeffrey Zimmerman, Ph.D., ABPP
JeffZimmermanPhD@MyDivorceRecovery.com
212-485-0033

Lauren Behrman, Ph.D.
LaurenBehrmanPhD@MyDivorceRecovery.com
212-799-7921