Stronger Than the Split: Teen Divorce Support Group in Woodland Hills
Divorce can change the emotional climate of a home overnight. Even when teens seem composed on the outside, they may be carrying grief, anger, confusion, loyalty conflicts, or the feeling that they have to handle it alone. Stronger Than the Split is a therapist-led support group for high school teens ages 14–18 whose parents are divorced or going through divorce. In a small, supportive setting, teens can process what has changed, connect with peers who understand, and build healthier ways to cope. Stronger Than the Split happens in-person on Thursdays at 5pm at Teen Therapy Center.
Located in Woodland Hills and central to families from Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, and Thousand Oaks.
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Hi, my name is David Munz. I'm an associate marriage and family therapist here at Teen Therapy Center and the facilitator for Stronger Than the Split, a divorce group for teens. Divorce is a really complicated thing for any family to navigate, but it can be especially difficult for teenagers to handle. There's so many impacts that just may not be seen by the parents or even noticed by the teens themselves, and I want to create a space for them to be able to express that and explore that. With divorce, issues of identity can become a real problem for teens. You used to be a part of a family, now that family system is split. Who am I in the world? Who am I in this family now? There's also an issue of loyalty conflicts. It's common for kids to feel caught between their parents, um, during divorce. Group therapy is an incredibly powerful tool for people to be processing and understanding what it is they're dealing with because it allows them to hear the perspectives of other people that are
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going through a similar situation. Individual therapy can be really helpful for talking about what they're feeling, but group therapy can provide pers- perspective and experience outside of their own that may help normalize their experience and give them different coping tools to work through whatever it is that they're struggling with. This group is important to me because I've lived through a divorce. I know what it can feel like to have those complicated feelings around who am I and what do I do in this situation. Having a group where you can talk to other people your own age to help process that can be incredibly beneficial, and I wish I had that when I was going through it, too. Stronger Than the Split meets on Thursdays at five PM at Teen Therapy Center in Woodland Hills. If you'd like to reach out, please find my contact information on the page.
Why Teen Group Therapy Can Help After Divorce
What parents often see, but teens do not always say
Parents often notice irritability, withdrawal, sadness, acting out, loss of focus, or a teenager who suddenly seems harder to reach. What is easy to miss is that many teens try to protect their parents by not saying how lost, angry, guilty, or overwhelmed they actually feel. This group gives them a place to talk honestly without feeling pressured to pick sides or carry the weight of the transition by themselves.
Why peer support matters in high school
Individual therapy can be powerful, but group therapy adds something uniquely important in high school: peer recognition. When teens hear other students describe similar fears, family changes, and mixed emotions, the experience becomes less isolating and more understandable. That kind of normalization can open the door to insight, resilience, and healthier communication.
What Teens Experience in Stronger Than the Split
A small, therapist-led space to talk, listen, and connect
Stronger Than the Split is built as a small therapist-led process group for high school teens. Sessions begin with a check-in and move into guided discussion around the real-life effects of divorce: changes at home, shifting routines, living between households, grief, loyalty binds, identity, conflict, and what it means to move forward.
Skills teens can carry beyond the group
Teens are not put on the spot before trust is built. Over time, they can learn to identify feelings more clearly, talk about what they need more effectively, hear other perspectives, and build coping tools for stress, anger, sadness, and change. The deeper goal is to help each teen understand that divorce is something they are going through, not who they are.
Why Parents Trust Stronger Than the Split
Guided by clinicians who understand the weight of divorce
This group is facilitated by David Muns, AMFT #161248, supervised by Kent Toussaint, LMFT #44685. David understands the clinical side of family transition and also can speak personally about the impact divorce can have during adolescence. That combination matters. It helps create a space that feels credible, compassionate, and grounded in the realities teens actually face.
Support for your teen and steadier connection at home
Parents also need to know that the group is structured. The facilitators’ role is to guide conversation thoughtfully, protect privacy, and help each teen participate in a way that feels safe and developmentally appropriate. When teens feel more seen and less alone, the benefits often extend beyond the group room and into the family system.
Group Details and Next Steps
Who this group is for
This group is designed for teens ages 14–18 who are adjusting to divorce or separation in their family. It may be especially helpful for teens who seem angry, shut down, overwhelmed, stuck between parents, or unsure how to talk about what this transition has meant for them. To protect privacy and make room for honest expression, only one sibling from each family should participate in a group cycle.
How the intake process works
Enrollment begins with an intake meeting involving the teen, a parent, and the facilitators so everyone can ask questions and determine whether this group is the right fit. The program is designed as a small weekly commitment for teens who can benefit from outpatient support. If a teen needs immediate crisis help or a higher level of care, the right next step may be different, and we can help guide your family toward more appropriate support.
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Hi, my name's David Munz. I'm an associate marriage and family therapist here at Teen Therapy Center of Woodland Hills, and I'm the facilitator for Stronger Than the Split, a divorce support group for teens. So this group is designed for teenagers who are feeling kind of alone in the process of divorce. Even if they're going through it with siblings, they may be having their own experience that nobody else may be having. I want to create a space for each teenager to be able to share what they're going through that we can process together, and so that we can kind of normalize the experience of being a teenager going through a divorce. I thought it was important to only have one sibling per family in the group because I don't want each individual member of the group to have to feel like they can't share what they want to with it coming back to their parents. I want them to be able to give their authentic and honest selves to the group, and there may be differing opinions of what's going on
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at home between siblings. So the intake process for this group includes an individual intake session with me. That would include the teen who's interested in joining the group, as well as the parent or parents, as long as the parents can be amicable while we're in the room together. And then the teen is welcome to join the group the next session available. Each group session is an hour and a half. We'll start by doing some intro activities, get to know everybody, and then we'll start exploring what everybody's experience is like, and get to talking about what it feels like to be a teenager who's living in a household experiencing divorce. Stronger Than the Split meets on Thursdays at 5 p.m. at Teen Therapy Center in Woodland Hills. If you'd like to reach out, please find my contact information on the page.
No pressure. Just a conversation to see what’s right for your family.