- UNPACKING PARENTAL ALIENATION WITH CHILDREN IN MINDby Diane DierksThe feelings of children needing to split their loyalties with their parents may begin during the parents’ relationship or marriage.
- SHOULD YOU TAKE YOUR CO-PARENT CONFLICT TO COURT? MAYBE NOT.by Diane DierksFamily courts are designed to settle legal matters concerning families when the families can’t settle them on their own. Settling … Read more
- Are Co-Parents Teaching Resilience?by Diane DierksAs more and more children experience high-conflict co-parenting, they not only get caught in the middle of conflict, but also … Read more
- WHAT MAKES LIFE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CHILD OF DIVORCE?by Diane DierksPARENT SAYS: Your mom is a liar. That is not what happened! CHILD THINKS: If mom is a liar, then … Read more
- Let Them Be Orange!by Diane DierksKids who live with high-conflict co-parents often report feeling what we call the “chameleon effect,” requiring them to take on … Read more
- WHY ASKING WHY IS UNPRODUCTIVEby Diane DierksLoss like death, divorce, estrangement, etc. can be traumatic when there is no clear reason why. Especially in a difficult … Read more
- FIVE WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN OUT OF THE MIDDLEby Diane DierksIf you and your co-parent are high conflict, I guarantee your children know it and suffer for it. You cannot … Read more
- Learning the Long Gameby Diane DierksParenting is hard. Co-parenting is harder. Either way, it’s not about absolutes and is definitely not black and white. It’s … Read more
- When You Have to Go to Courtby Diane DierksMost professionals like me try to do everything possible to help clients stay out of litigation, which tends to harm … Read more
- Children Need Your Character, Not Your Imageby Diane DierksIn all of my years as a therapist, co-parent specialist, and mediator, the most heart breaking moments for me have … Read more
- Narcissists in the Courtroomby Diane DierksListen to this episode of Co-Parent Dilemmas as Judge Warren Davis shares his insights about dealing with difficult co-parents in … Read more
- Co-Parent Dilemmas Podcastby Diane DierksI am pleased to announce that in addition to my monthly written blog post (that I have been doing for … Read more
- THE MAGIC OF SUMMERTIMEby Diane DierksSummer is here. I would like to challenge all co-parents this year to develop a new way of thinking about … Read more
- The Tit for Tat Trapby Diane DierksFor some reason, I have had many parents express lately that they are frustrated with how much their co-parent refuses … Read more
- FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A “GOOD CO-PARENT”by Diane DierksThe meaning of word “co-parent” is elusive enough, but when you qualify it with “good,” it’s nearly undefinable. I liken … Read more
- THE POWER OF PREDICTABILITYby Diane DierksI am busier now than ever before with new clients seeking help with anxiety issues due to unpredictability. But there … Read more
- Three Invaluable Co-Parent Phrasesby Diane DierksOne of the most common mistakes co-parents in conflict make is using their communication with one another to document and … Read more
- DISTORTED THINKING DURING COVIDby Diane DierksNow, more than ever in our history, there is a great need for everyone to view circumstances through a complex … Read more
- Why can’t he just be normal?by Diane DierksI recently had a mom walk into my office and she plopped down on my couch and began sobbing. When … Read more
- Co-Parent Tip of the Month: Kids Want to Matterby Diane DierksI witnessed an amazing transformation recently in my practice that made me think how simply kids see their parents. I … Read more
- Parenting Plan Compliance During the COVID-19 Crisisby Diane DierksI’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails about how co-parents should react to the COVID-19 crisis and how … Read more
- A COVID-19 Message to All Co-Parentsby Diane DierksIt seems important to talk about the crisis we’re in and how co-parents can approach it with kindness and care. … Read more
- Co-Parent Tip of the Month: Ten Rulesby Diane DierksThis month, I want to share the rules of co-parent communication that we teach twice a month in our Advanced … Read more
- Nana: I Was Just Trying to Helpby Diane Dierks(To protect confidentiality, names and details have been modified.) I first met Becky, a 62-year-old grandmother, after spending a few … Read more
- Jasmine: Daddy’s Little Girlby Diane Dierks(To protect confidentiality, names and details have been modified) Jasmine’s mom and step-dad came to see me after attending our … Read more
- Daniel: But I Hate Cucumbers!by Diane Dierks(To protect confidentiality, names and details have been modified) When I met Daniel, he was 11-years-old and somewhat frail and … Read more
- John & Charlotte: Why Can’t We Just Be Friends?by Diane DierksJohn and Charlotte came to see me voluntarily because they both realized that their conflict was out of control and … Read more
- Olivia’s Story: You Had Me at Helloby Diane Dierks(To protect confidentiality, names and details have been modified) She was conceived on a one-night-stand and her parents never married … Read more
- Secret Sauce for the 20 Percentby Diane DierksHigh-conflict co-parents are defined as those who cannot fit into the roughly 30 percent who are cooperative (flexible with ease … Read more
- Give Something for Nothing!by Diane DierksIt takes donations to provide sliding scale services to our/your clients. Here are two ways to give to us without spending … Read more
- Let’s Just Call a Therapistby Diane Dierks“…of course the therapist would have to say something to the court…wouldn’t she?”
- 18 is the New 15by Diane DierksTeens are not equipped to handle too much responsibility. Recent research is telling us that 18 is the new 15, … Read more
- Asking the Right Questionsby Diane DierksOne of the biggest parenting mistakes you can make is in how you respond to your child’s questions or statements … Read more
- Modeling Resilienceby Diane DierksResilience is a dying word in our society, in my opinion. It’s the capacity to recover quickly from difficult circumstances … Read more
- Giving Teens a Choiceby Diane DierksWe all recognize that teenagers have lives outside of their parents – lives they would much rather cultivate than their … Read more
- The Truth about Parental Alienationby Diane DierksThe phrase parental alienation has become somewhat ubiquitous in custody cases these days, reminiscent of the path ADHD and bipolar … Read more