Reunification Therapy

it’s a marathon

For families going through the reunification process it’s important to remember that it’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint. It’s never an easy situation and there’s no quick fix. Parents who are trying to connect with an estranged child need to know that the key to success is keeping a long view, keep showing up, and not giving up.

We recommend that parents just try to stay positive, warm and loving. And of course always resist talking about the other parent involved. These are the keys to rebuilding that all important trust.

For the kids…

For kids in reunification therapy there can be a lot of fear involved.  Kids can have a lot of complicated emotions around allowing an estranged parent back into their life. A child can be scared of the process because of what they’ve experienced or what they’ve been told about a parent. They can also have conflicting emotions around how it might change their relationship with the other parent who is not in reunification therapy.

There’s a lot more to say about the topic, and we bring it all together in this Tips on Teens:

“My husband and I got divorced a little while back. I lost custody of my daughter. Unfortunately a lot of lies were told about me in court and to my daughter. Now the court is mandating reunification therapy. How do I turn the narrative around about me that has been told to my daughter?”