ABSTRACT
As parent coordinators begin working with high-conflict divorced parents they quickly become aware of the range of impaired parents. Cases are few and far between in which parents have their child’s interest foremost at heart. Those parents respond quickly to the educational component of the process. As they learn how their behaviors have damaged their child, they get their priorities in line. Many of these parents have the capacity to cooperate, but the external influence of litigation, their grief process, and the impact of outside influences temporarily impair their ability and/or willingness to work cooperatively with their coparent. These are the parents who can make improvements postsettlement. However, the majority of parents seen by a parent coordinator have serious limitations and many are emotionally impaired. In highly conflicted circumstances, some parents demonstrate personality traits or disorders that significantly interfere with their ability to successfully coparent.
