Divorce and Co-Parenting : A Support Guide for the Modern Family

Some of the statistics are well known, if still jarring: One of two marriages contracted will end in divorce. More than a million children each year experience their parents' divorce. Other figures are less publicized: Diagnosable psychological problems occur in 30%--40% percent of individuals whose parents divorce -- a rate three times higher than that for individuals whose families remain together. Divorce and Co-parenting explores the impact of divorce on adolescents and young adults, drawing on anecdotes from the authors' own medical and law practices to illustrate how parents' decision-making can powerfully impact their children's well-being before, during, and after a divorce -- even into adulthood.

This volume, a revised edition of How to Help Your Children Overcome Your Divorce -- originally published in the 1990s -- is updated to reflect significant changes in family dynamics, technology and social media, and the matrimonial legal landscape over the past 30 years.

This guide offers new methods of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, collaborative law, and parenting coordinators, as it addresses a wide variety of family situations, such as the following: ? Uninvolved or absent noncustodial parents? Parents with mental illness? Incarcerated parents? LGBTQ parents or children? Sexually or physically abused children

Although written to be a multidisciplinary resource for professionals in many settings -- among them, psychiatrists, social workers, pediatricians, and attorneys -- Divorce and Co-Parenting is written in an accessible, easily digestible style. This makes the book applicable for parents, grandparents, teachers, and even adolescents looking for practical information on mitigating the effects of divorce on the family.

Elissa P. Benedek, M.D., is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan; and is in private practice in adult, child, and forensic psychiatry in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Samantha A. Huettner, J.D., is an attorney and mediator at Metzger Rosta, LLP in Noblesville, Indiana.