ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a therapeutic model for addressing common issues facing divorcing families, such as Anne and Doug Miller and their children. Divorce and the subsequent transitions and reorganization of family structure that follow have become a normative experience in our society. The most commonly accepted theoretical model of divorce supports a process perspective that proposes marital dissolution is not a single, discrete event. There are numerous factors that are important for post-divorce adjustment. For divorcing/divorced families, conflicted interparental relationships that focus on child-centered issues may be even more detrimental than in married families. The parent-child relationship can serve as a source for both risk and resilience, especially during stressful times in the family such as during a divorce. If parents are to promote resilience for children post-divorce, the parent-child relationship must remain warm and supportive. The most at-risk relationship post-divorce is the father-child relationship given fathers often become the nonresidential parent.