The Rejected Parent: Rebuild Your Relationship with Your Child During a Divorce or Custody Dispute

Powerful skills to help you reconnect and rebuild your relationship with your child after a divorce or separation. 

If you’ve gone through a divorce or separation and it has negatively affected your relationship with your child, you should know that you are not alone. When families split into two households, it’s very common for children to “take sides” with one parent. You may feel rejected, desperate, and lost―and in a state of reactivity, you may even push your child further away. So, how can you reduce parental rejection and secure a healthier and more positive connection with your child?

Written by a family therapist and expert in high-conflict divorce, The Rejected Parent provides skills adapted from attachment theory and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy to help you understand and attune to your child’s needs, be an active and empathetic listener, and rebuild your relationship. You’ll also find co-regulation skills to help you and your child manage intense emotions, as well as techniques to help you meet your child where they are developmentally, psychologically, and emotionally.

If you think you are experiencing parental alienation, you are likely hurting and will do anything to re-establish a connection with your child. With this step-by-step guide, you’ll find real, actionable tools to help you move past parental rejection and build a healthy and lasting relationship.

Cathy Himlin, LMFT, LPCC, has more than thirty years’ experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist working with children and families. She is also a licensed professional clinical counselor and specializes in family law and dependency cases involving high-conflict families with an estranged parent. She is an affiliate member of the San Diego Family Law Bar Association and is also associated with the CAMFT and the AAMFT. Himlin has developed several child-centered trainings for family law attorneys, therapists, and parents.