The orientation course educates parents about divorce and its alternatives. The course informs parents about:
Resources to improve or strengthen the marriage.
Resources to resolve custody and support issues without filing for divorce.
The positive and negative consequences of divorce.
Procedural options in a divorce, include mediation, collaborative law, and litigation.
The divorce process.
Post-divorce resources.
The education course teaches parents to understand their children's reactions to their divorce and to help their children adjust. Parents learn how children of different ages express their pain and loss and the best parenting methods for helping them cope during and after the divorce. Some of the topics discussed are:
Grieving stages are common to divorce.
How children experience divorce. What to expect from a child based on the child's developmental age, and how to help a child adjust to the divorce.
Helpful ways to communicate with a child about the divorce. What children need to know and what they don't need to know.
Parental behavior that promotes good self-esteem in children.
Encouraging and supporting expression of your child's feelings.
How and why conflict between parents creates stress for children. How to decrease the conflict children are exposed to.
Why children need continued and meaningful relationships with both parents during and after a divorce. Helpful ways to share parenting responsibilities and encourage cooperative behavior with both parents.
