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BEYOND THE FIRST SESSION 

Course Summary 
In 2009, Resolution undertook the massive endeavour of launching Parenting After Parting with the help of Christina McGhee. This national initiative was aimed at establishing support and education for separating parents that focused on helping them achieve the best possible outcomes for their children. 
 
Since then many lessons have been learned. Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways was the realisation that Parenting After Parting was about much more than just educating parents. The movement also ignited a pivotal shift in how we as family lawyers are seen by the public and how we engage with our clients. 
 
This two-day workshop provides experienced family lawyers, who already understand the challenges clients face, the opportunity to expand their skill set, develop new insights, and gain practical strategies for helping parents put their children at the centre of this process. 

Speaker - Christina McGhee 

Christina, dubbed the “divorce coach by the UK press, gained worldwide attention for her work with three British families in the Channel 4 documentary “How to Divorce Without Screwing Up Your Kids.” Throughout her career she has educated both parents and professionals on how keep kids in the centre, not in the middle, when parents part. 
 
In addition to her work in the US, Christina also played an integral role in helping Resolution develop Parenting After Parting, a nationwide educational initiative aimed at providing high quality, stigma-free support separating parents. She has also had the extreme honour of speaking to Members of the Scottish Parliament as an advocate for children of divorce. 
 
Christina McGhee, MSW is an internationally recognized divorce coach, speaker and author of the highly acclaimed book, Parenting Apart, How separated and divorced parents can raise happy and secure kids and a contributing author for the book ToughLOVE: Eighteen Top Experts Share Proven Strategies for Raising Confident, Kind, Resilient Kids 

Who is this course for / Who should attend? 

The course is suitable for experienced Family Law professionals. 

Key learning objectives 

Gain a greater understanding regarding the impact of divorce on children’s lives. 
Develop new insights into the long-term implications of parental separation for teens and adult children of divorce. 
Learn why information and logic won’t compel parents to change. 
Find out how brain systems and our own hard-wired responses impact co-parenting and your client’s ability to make child-centred decisions. 
Discover practical strategies to help clients get unstuck, shift their perspective, craft a clear direction and stay focused on their children. 
Expand current engagement skills by learning new ways of speaking with clients that yield better results. 
Engage in interactive exercises and case studies to further practical application skills, implement new strategies and develop scripts for engaging with a variety of clients. 

Other information 

This training will also include a screening of the award-winning children’s documentary SPLIT, a film about divorce for kids and their parents and exclusive preview of the not yet released follow-up film, SPLIT Teen. 
 

Feedback from previous attendees 

‘Helpful, informative, empowering and fun!’ 
‘I feel that the course provided a shift in the way I will deal with clients which I hope will help them explore the way they perceive their matter and looking for solutions which weren’t previously visible’ 
‘Extremely inspirational, informative and thought provoking’ 
‘One of the best courses I have been on’ 
‘Very insightful, different way of approaching issues and to communicate with clients’ 
‘Refreshing new approach of working with clients experiencing parental conflict’ 
‘Invaluable and puts reality into what / things I have been reading about and striving to achieve’ 
‘Very interesting understanding the impact of divorce on teens’ 

EXAMPLE AGENDA & TIMINGS* 

Day 1 
Day 2 
Opening (09.30-10.00) 
Welcome 
Introduction Exercise 
Housekeeping 
Focus of Training 
Opening (09.30-10.00) 
Welcome Back 
Recap 
The Real Impact of Divorce on Parents and Children (10.00-11.00) 
Emotional Process of Divorce for Parents 
How Divorce Feels for Kids: Screening of SPLIT/Discussion 
Reason: Helping Clients Get Clear (10.00-11.00) 
A. Brain system: Rational Pitfalls and Traps 
1. Analysis Paralysis and Problem Focus (when bad outweighs good) 
2. Resistance Verses Clarity 
3. Option Overload 
4. Skills: Shifting focus-solutions instead of problems, figuring out what’s working, limiting options while offering clear direction, circling back to end goal 
Break (11.00-11.15) 
Break (11.00-11.15) 
The Real Impact of Divorce on Parents and Children (cont.) (11.15-12.45) 
Long-Term Implications of Divorce: Screening of SPLIT Teen/Discussion 
Issues Surrounding Divorce and Adult Children 
Case Study: Small Groups (11.15-12.45) 
Situation: Assessing the problem, Strategy: Where is change possible? Skills: Applying what you learned, Script: What might you say or do with clients? 
Lunch (12.45-13.45) 
Lunch (12.45-13.45) 
Factors impacting client functioning and decision making 
 
Emotion and Reason (13.45-15.15) 
A. Brain systems: Why logic alone isn’t compelling. 
1. System of change: Helping clients get a clear picture of how they are doing 
2. Self-assessment, positive illusions, moving past fair and negative bias 
3. Dealing with overwhelm 
4. Skills: find the feeling, small wins/goal setting and building identity 
Shaping the Path (13.45-14.45) 
A. Process Pitfalls 
1. Fundamental Attribution Error 
2. Falling back into old patterns and habits 
3. Following the crowd/evaluating the client’s environment 
4. Skills: identifying the problem, tweaking the environment, redefining roles and signposting support 
Break (15.15-15.30) 
Break (14.45-15.00) 
Case Study: Small Groups (15.30-16.40) 
Situation: Assessing the problem, Strategy: Where is change possible? Skills: Applying what you learned, Script: What might you say or do with clients? 
Shaping the Path (Cont.) (15.00-16.00) 
B. Small Group Exercise 
Identifying common challenges and ways to implement a new approach. 
Wrap Up / Q&A (16.40-17.00) 
Wrap-up/Q&A (16.00-16.30) 
* Final agenda and timings may be subject to change prior to running the course 

Standard Delegate Rates 

When being run as a public course this 2 day event will typically have a delegate rate of £495.00 + VAT 
 
Discounts are also available for bookings of 3 delegates or more. For further information please contact help@flipfaculty.org