Even relatively “low conflict” parents can have fundamental disagreements about what might be best for the children. Wouldn’t it be great if these parents and their mediators or Collaborative professionals could actually hear from the children what they want and need? The Child Specialist is a unique neutral role within consensual dispute resolution which gives children a true voice in their parents’ divorce while respecting boundaries for every member of the family. In this short workshop, we will cover examples of what children say and show about their feelings about the divorce and how a skilled Child Specialist might interpret this for the parents in order to help them make decisions which are both informed and wise.
Beth Proudfoot, LMFT, began working as a Collaborative Communications Coach and Child Specialist a few years after her own Collaborative divorce in 2007. Since then she has worked on close to 200 cases in one of those roles. A member of Collaborative Divorce California’s executive Board, Beth is a frequent speaker at California’s Collaborative Celebration, and she will be speaking for Florida’s conference this spring. She lives in Sonora, CA, a small town in the Sierra foothills near Yosemite and works on Collaborative cases all over the state.
Presented by Beth Proudfoot
