Reunification Therapy
Court-Ordered Reunification Therapy Policies and Procedures
Reunification therapy (RT) is a type of family therapy. The goal of RT is to rebuild trust and re-establish the connection between parent and child, particularly when that child's parents live in separate households.
Reunification therapy can help with a variety of situations:
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After a divorce or custody dispute, to help children and parents reconnect in a safe and healthy manner
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To help children and parents reconnect following incidences of abuse, neglect, or prolonged absence
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To support those who feel they have experienced parental alienation
The goal of reunification therapy is to re-establish the parent-child connection by:
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Improving communication skills
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Building trust
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Exploring common interests
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Creating a safety plan (as necessary)
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Fostering conflict resolution
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Encouraging the use of healthy parenting strategies, including discipline and emotional responsiveness
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Establishing effective coparenting boundaries
What to Know Before Starting Reunification Therapy at Egan Counseling & Consulting
There MUST be a court order issued (there are very few exceptions to this).
Even in situations where the parties agree to reunification therapy, it is best to have a court order outlining the responsibilities of each party and the payment terms. The court order outlines the level of cooperation required from both parents, a general overview of treatment goals, appoints a qualified therapist and outlines their authority, and establishes a plan for payment of the therapist's services.
The Child MUST have an individual therapist.
Children participating in reunification therapy often exhibit signs of stress. To support them through the RT process, it is essential that they have access to their own therapist. Additionally, children may have experienced trauma or have concurrent mental health issues, and individual therapy can help them process these issues and regulate their emotions.
Parents may be required to participate in individual therapy as part of the RT process.
Parents often find reunification therapy to be exceedingly stressful. The preferred parent may feel protective, and the non-preferred parent may feel defensive or hurt. Therefore, parents are likely to benefit from individual counseling so they can process their emotions and continue to present RT in a generally positive way to the child. RT will be unsuccessful if one or both parents are discouraging of the process. The reunification therapist is there to keep the child safe in the process of reunification, but it can be difficult for the parents to "trust the process." Therefore, emotional support needs to be put in place for both parents so RT has the maximum potential to be productive.
Both parents and/or legal guardians MUST be prepared to participate meaningfully.
The therapy process has a greater chance of success when both parents are involved and have a willingness to commit to reunifying the parent and the child in a safe and healthy way. Sending a joint message of support to the child regarding their relationship with the non-preferred parent is essential to this process. This could involve discussion in sessions about co-parenting guidelines and boundaries. A less-contentious relationship between parents, especially those who will have an ongoing co-parenting relationship, is a secondary but important benefit.
*If any of the above components are not met, we will reserve the right to discontinue services, and/or refer the client to another therapist.
Getting Started - If you would like to inquire about our reunification services, please contact Julie Clark, Practice Manager, at 704-981-2190 or support@egancounseling.com