A Relate Guide

Help Your Children Cope With Your Divorce

A complete guide for parents who are going through a divorce or separation

Paula Hall is an Accredited Sexual and Relationship Psychotherapist, experienced in working with couples, individuals and young people and has been a Relate counsellor for over 10 years. She currently works as a Young People's Counsellor. She provides regular professional comment on divorce and separation and young people's issues to the national press, women's magazines, teenage magazines, websites, national and local radio and television and runs her own website: www.familytherapyonline.org

Children of all ages can be devastated by the news that their parents are splitting up. Even those who have been living in a highly conflictual situation are often shocked by their parents' final decision to separate. For most children, separation means major changes to family life and often losing a parent. The long-term impacts of divorce are now widely recognised with increasing chances of problems at school, criminal behaviour, problems in their own relationships and mental illness. 
 
This guide will provide you with clear advice and guidance on how to minimise the impact of your relationship breakdown on your children. Including: 
- An explanation of the age-specific issues that children face when they find out their family is breaking up 
- Professional comment, stories and quotes from children 
- Checklists and case studies 
 
Acknowledging the personal difficulties faced by the adult who has made the decision to leave, as well as the adult who feels they are being abandoned, this sensitive, accessible guide is a must for all parents going through divorce or separation who are concerned for their children.

Paula Hall

The process of divorce can be an emotionally devastating experience and, on the practical side, the financial and legal strains can be a major source of stress. But approaching divorce with the right advice and support can help you turn the experience into a chance for personal growth and development, so you can look to the future with a realistic optimism. 
 
How to Have a Healthy Divorce will help you to embrace the reality of the situation, gain more understanding of what went wrong in your marriage and help you handle the rollercoaster of emotions involved in a break up. In clear and simple steps, this practical guide will show you how to: 
- Overcome actual and potential challenges 
- Accept your past, present and future circumstances 
- Formulate a personal action plan that includes practical points on financial and legal matters 
- Build a relationship with your ex so you can communicate effectively 
 
This is an accessible, sympathetic and uncomplicated guide to facing divorce with pragmatism and optimism, helping you to emerge from a healthy divorce with valuable lessons learnt and the tools to build a secure and fulfilling future.

Paula Hall

Books by Paula Hall

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