Marin County Psychological Association Presents:
Dr. Ann Buscho, Ph.D.
Birdnesting: A Child Centered Approach to Co-Parenting During Separation and Divorce
This two-hour talk is based on Dr. Buscho’s book The Parent's Guide to Birdnesting: A Child-Centered Solution to Co-Parenting During Separation or Divorce. Nesting or birdnesting, is the term for a transitional arrangement during parents' separation or divorce. It is called nesting because, like birds swooping in and out of the nest to care for their young, nesting parents rotate on and off duty to care for their children, according to an established schedule. The children remain in the home, and the parents alternate being in the home for their parenting time, out of the home when they are off-duty.
Families facing separation or divorce often seek help from a psychologist to guide them through the process so minimize damage to the children and family. The research clearly shows that parental conflict is the most damaging factor in divorce. Psychologists can learn about a method that will protect the children from the trauma of divorce while stabilizing the family during a critical time.
The goal of nesting arrangements is to offer parents a way to reduce conflict in the home, by keeping the children in the home while the parents rotate on and off duty according to a structured and documented schedule and plan. Clinicians will be able to guide parents through the creation of a nesting parenting plan that is tailored to the clients’ family. By stabilizing the family in this way, the children’s lives are not disrupted, and the parents have respite for their conflict. They will then be able to focus on the future of their marriage, whether to reconcile or divorce.
In this workshop clinicians will learn about what nesting is and isn’t, how to assess whether nesting is a viable option for their clients, ways to improve communication and reduce the damage of conflict. In addition, clinicians will learn how to recognize situations in which nesting is probably not a good option.
Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate clients’ readiness for nesting by using, scoring and interpreting an assessment tool to identify red flags.
- Construct a nesting parenting plan that minimizes the children’s exposure to divorce trauma as evidenced by reduced symptoms of stress. Symptoms include regression (e.g., wetting the bed), behavioral problems reported by the school, or symptoms of depression or anxiety.
- Design an on-duty, off-duty schedule that maximizes the children’s time with each parent in a document agreed to and signed by each parent, and submitted to the court.
- Guide divorcing families toward a low-conflict, out-of-court divorce process with an understanding of the various divorce options (do-it-yourself, mediation, Collaborative Divorce, and litigation.)
Saturday, October 9th
10:00 am to 12:00 pm 2 CE credits
MCPA Members: Free Non-Members: $50 Students $10.
Login: 9:45-10:00
Register athttps://mcpa.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=928938&item_id=1512193
Event can be found under event calendar at https://mcpa.clubexpress.com/
Location:
online to zoom platform - laptop or desktop with webcam and internet connection required. Smart phone can also be used. Zoom program download or app required.
Questions? Rick Pomfret Rick@Therapy4Men.com.
The California Psychological Association (CPA) is co-sponsoring with the Marin County Psychological Association. CPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists and recognized by the BBS to offer CE credit for its licensees. CPA maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.