Divorced/Co parenting Resources
Important Note About Therapy, Custody, and Co-Parenting
Therapy is designed to support emotional wellbeing — for both parents and children — during times of stress, transition, or change. To protect the integrity of therapy and your child’s emotional safety, certain roles must remain clearly defined.
As a mental health therapist, my role is to support emotional health, coping, and regulation. I do not participate in legal decision-making or custody-related determinations.
Therapy Does Not Include:
Custody evaluations
Recommendations for parenting time or visitation
Opinions about which parent should make specific decisions
Involvement in legal disputes between parents
Providing therapy alongside evaluative or legal opinions would create a conflict of interest and is not ethically permitted within mental health practice.
Who Can Help With Custody or Parenting-Time Decisions?
If you are seeking assistance with custody-related or legal decision-making, the most appropriate professionals include:
Custody Evaluators
Trained professionals who assess parents and children and provide formal recommendations regarding custody and parenting time.
Mediators or Parenting Consultants
Neutral professionals who help parents resolve disagreements, improve communication, and make shared decisions in a structured setting.
How Therapy Can Support You
While therapy does not involve legal decision-making, it can be deeply supportive during separation or divorce. Therapy may help with:
Processing the emotional stress of co-parenting
Strengthening communication skills that reduce conflict
Supporting children as they adjust to transitions between homes
Understanding children’s emotional needs during family changes
Building stability, routines, and emotional safety within your home
Therapy remains centered on emotional care — not legal outcomes — to ensure your child’s wellbeing remains the priority.
Safe Harbor Guidance for Parents
What Is Safe Harbor?
Safe Harbor refers to practices that protect children emotionally and psychologically during family transitions such as separation or divorce. It ensures that children are not placed in the middle of adult conflict or legal processes.
In a Safe Harbor environment, children are not questioned, pressured, or influenced about legal matters, custody disputes, or adult disagreements.
Why Safe Harbor Matters in Therapy
To protect a child’s emotional wellbeing and maintain ethical standards:
Therapists cannot serve as investigators in legal or custody disputes
Children should not be used to gather information or relay messages
Therapy sessions must remain neutral, supportive, and emotionally safe
Safe Harbor allows children to express feelings without fear of causing conflict, choosing sides, or impacting legal outcomes.
Safe Harbor Practices Parents Are Encouraged to Follow
Parents can support a Safe Harbor environment by:
Avoiding questions about the other parent’s home, activities, or relationships
Not discussing court or legal matters around the child
Refraining from encouraging the child to take sides
Allowing the child to speak freely in therapy without coaching or pressure
Keeping transitions as calm, predictable, and conflict-free as possible
What Safe Harbor Means in Therapy
During therapy:
Children may talk about feelings related to transitions, routines, or stress
The therapist supports emotional processing — not legal decision-making
Sessions remain confidential and focused on emotional wellbeing
No information is gathered for custody purposes
No recommendations are made regarding parenting time or legal arrangements
What Safe Harbor Is Not
Safe Harbor does not mean ignoring safety concerns.
If there is any suspicion of abuse, neglect, or harm, the therapist is a mandated reporter under Texas law and must follow required reporting procedures.
How Safe Harbor Benefits Families
A Safe Harbor approach helps to:
Reduce emotional stress for children
Lower conflict between co-parents
Increase stability across households
Support long-term emotional wellbeing
Preserve the effectiveness and integrity of therapy