Divorce - Blended Family Counseling

Divorce – Blended Family Counseling in Wichita, KS

Many families in the United States are touched by divorce. The current divorce rate is calculated to be between 40 and 60% for those recently married and up to 10% higher for remarriages. A majority of divorces occur in families with children under the age of 18.

Divorce propels adults and children into numerous adjustments and challenges. While each child’s acclimation to divorce is different, the majority will weather these changes successfully, and grow-up to become well-adjusted adults. However, up to 25% of children whose parents divorce experience ongoing emotional and behavior difficulties (as compared to 10% of children whose parents do not divorce).

Spouses divorce each other, but they do not divorce their children. A majority of former spouses are able to establish a relatively conflict-free parenting relationship for the benefit of their children. However, about a third have difficulty in establishing a workable parenting relationship, even years after the divorce.

Parental conflict can hinder children’s adjustment and good co-parenting skills are very important to a child’s adjustment. Most parents who have a difficult relationship with their ex-spouse but who want to co-parent start out with “parallel parenting.” In this arrangement, each parent assumes total responsibility for the children during the time they are together; there is no expectation of flexibility and little contact with the other parent. As time goes on and anger dissipates, parents may develop some version of “cooperative parenting.” In this arrangement, parents communicate directly and in a business-like manner regarding the children and co-parenting schedules. Marriage and family therapists can be helpful to families as they formulate or define their post-divorce parenting relationships.

How do you know when to seek help?

When your children show signs of stress:

  • Acting younger than their chronological age
  • Showing fear of being apart from parent(s) 
  • Experiencing moodiness 
  • Acting out 
  • Being manipulative
  • Experiencing sadness and depression 
  • Struggling with guilt 
  • Having sleep or eating problems 
  • Undergoing change in personality 
  • Having academic and peer problems 
  • Displaying irrational fears and compulsive behavior

When you or your partner begins to: 

  • Use the legal system to fight with each other
  • Put down or badmouth the other parent 
  • Use the children as message carriers or to spy on the other parent (children feel caught in the middle) 
  • Experience high levels of conflict and children repeatedly try to stop the fighting 
  • Rely on the children for high level of emotional support and major responsibilities in the home 
  • Experience depression or anxiety

Here at ACFC we have a team of experienced marriage and family therapists who are committed to their patients every step of the way. We will help match you to the therapist on our staff best suited to meet your needs. We accept most major insurance providers. Check our Insurance page to see if your provider is accepted.

If you would like to seek divorce/blended family therapy with an ACFC counselor – simply fill out our contact form below, chat with us during business hours or call us at 316-945-5200 to get the process started. We look forward to meeting with you.

Contact Us

Looking for Divorce/Blended Family Counseling in Wichita?

Let us know how we can help…

We accept most major insurance and offer appointments during the day and evenings (as available). Call 316-945-5200 for more information and we will be happy to help match you with the therapist that best meets your needs.