A Model for Developing a Coparenting Relationship After Protracted Litigation: The Case of Antonia, a 14-Year-Old...

Research has consistently documented long-term negative effects of high-conflict divorce on children's mental health. Court-issued custody and visitation judgments require parental collaboration, yet it is often challenging for parents to shift their interactions from acrimonious to cooperative, leaving children at increased risk for further exposure to conflict. Clinicians have developed strategies that help parents reduce conflict and increase coparenting skills after divorce. In this work, therapists integrate an empathic, active clinical stance and incorporate parenting education and skill building to help shift parents from a relationship marked by conflict to collaboration. A clinical case study provides an illustration of the steps involved in engaging a highly reactive and acrimonious mother and father in a Coparenting Treatment after prolonged litigation. It traces specific changes the parents implemented during 2 years of monthly sessions and the positive effects on the family system, including both the daughter's relationship to each parent and the parents' capacity to cooperate on her behalf.