Part I reviews the research on the demographics of divorce and the issues--psychological, social, and financial--that families face before, during, and after parents separate. It also considers the consequences of litigation, as well its emotional and behavioral impacts on parents and their children.

Preserving Family Ties was not written to give you a formula for action. Rather, this is a guidebook for understanding. It was written to give a clearer understanding of the complexity in child custody when parents separate. This book provides you the historical context for the changes you experience, and what you may fear. I have written this book to offer parents and professionals that context in which the new reality unfolds. It was written to help you understand that one can move forward best when they a) acknowledge your feelings as you endure so many life changes, often abrupt and unexpected; b) recognize the obstacles and options in the child custody and divorce process; and c) seek support from family, friends, community resources to affect the best transition for you and your children. There is no magic wand to solve problems that parents may encounter, real or imaginary. However, our imagination can play havoc with this journey of family transition. The future we prefer for our children, for each parent, for grandparents and other extended family members, can be far better than imagined.

Seventy now-adult children of divorce give their candid and often heart-wrenching answers to eight questions (arranged in eight chapters, by question), including: What were the main effects of your parents' divorce on your life? What do you say to those who claim that "children are resilient" and "children are happy when their parents are happy"? What would you like to tell your parents then and now? What do you want adults in our culture to know about divorce? What role has your faith played in your healing? Their simple and poignant responses are difficult to read and yet not without hope. Most of the contributors--women and men, young and old, single and married--have never spoken of the pain and consequences of their parents' divorce until now. They have often never been asked, and they believe that no one really wants to know. Despite vastly different circumstances and details, the similarities in their testimonies are striking; as the reader will discover, the death of a child's family impacts the human heart in universal ways.

This open access book presents a discussion on human rights-based attributes for each article pertinent to the substantive rights of children, as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It provides the reader with a unique and clear overview of the scope and core content of the articles, together with an analysis of the latest jurisprudence of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. For each article of the UNCRC, the authors explore the nature and scope of corresponding State obligations, and identify the main features that need to be taken into consideration when assessing a State’s progressive implementation of the UNCRC. This analysis considers which aspects of a given right are most important to track, in order to monitor States' implementation of any given right, and whether there is any resultant change in the lives of children. This approach transforms the narrative of legal international standards concerning a given right into a set of characteristics that ensure no aspect of said right is overlooked. The book develops a clear and comprehensive understanding of the UNCRC that can be used as an introduction to the rights and principles it contains, and to identify directions for future policy and strategy development in compliance with the UNCRC. As such, it offers an invaluable reference guide for researchers and students in the field of childhood and children’s rights studies, as well as a wide range of professionals and organisations concerned with the subject.

High-Conflict Parenting Post-Separation: The Making and Breaking of Family Ties describes an innovative approach for families where children are caught up in their parents’ acrimonious relationship - before, during and after formal legal proceedings have been initiated and concluded. This first book in a brand-new series by researchers and clinicians at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families (AFNCCF) outlines a model of therapeutic work which involves children, their parents and the wider family and social network. The aim is to protect children from conflict between their parents and thus enable them to have healthy relationships across both ‘sides’ of their family network. High-Conflict Parenting Post-Separation is written for professionals who work with high-conflict families – be that psychologists, psychiatrists, child and adult psychotherapists, family therapists, social workers, children’s guardians and legal professionals including solicitors and mediators, as well as students and trainees in all these different disciplines. The book should also be of considerable interest for parents who struggle with post-separation issues that involve their children.

"Dr. Brenda Dozier has been my number one choice for the referral of my most challenging couples and families. I am so glad she has taken the time to share her wit and wisdom through Two-Home Families."--Peggy Thornton, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist "Two-Home Families..." provides straight forward, practical strategies that will show counselors of various skill levels how to effectively work with even the most difficult divorcing couple."--William L. Stutts, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist "Dr. Brenda Dozier shares her passion, intellect, and experience in her Two Home Families... as she walks counselors through the process of helping couples achieve effective co-parenting relationships after the marriage ends."--Deborah L. Moffett, Ph.D., Psy.D. When divorced parents are hostile with one another, their children suffer long-term negative consequences in all areas of their health--social, mental, physical, and emotional. Two-Home Families: A Family Systems Approach to Divorce Therapy teaches mental health professionals powerful ways top help parents help their children while they reap benefits as well. Dr. Dozier is a 16 year veteran of family therapy and through hundreds of therapy sessions with parents and children she has developed a model that has helped adults separate their roles as former marital partners from their roles as co-parents. These co-parenting relationships may either be cooperative in nature or take on a parallel style that allows each parent to parent his or her way. Two-Home Families... exemplifies the importance of preserving parent-child relationships and preventing self-centered, vindictive behaviors.

We are used to having our parents help us, but how do we handle it when the tables are turned and our parents are the ones who need help? Declining health, financial needs, divorce, relational issues—what’s an adult child’s role when their parents are struggling? Counselor Jim Newheiser understands the many types of challenges adults may face ...