Coparenting Education and Coaching

Did you know that divorce itself doesn't necessarily have a negative impact on childhood?  So, what does?  The relationship between coparents is the main factor that impacts a child's adjustment after separation.

Neutral Ground Solutions offers group classes that help coparents build a more peaceful, child-focused coparenting relationship.  The Cooperative Coparenting through Separation or Divorce curriculum provides a basis for video and discussion learning.  Classes meet for eight weeks, two hours per week.  Classes are small and engaging with discussion, videos, and activities.  Parents will receive a workbook, handouts, other resources, and a certificate of completion. 

Coparents who have a documented history of domestic violence and/or a current Protective Order may not be able to attend together.

The cost of the class is $60 per week per parent.  Discounts are available for prepayment and coparents attending together.   Weekly payments will be paid online and are due 24 hours prior to the start of class..  Parents who have missed their payment cannot attend class.   There are no refunds for weekly payments.  Unused portions of full payments can be applied to a future class one time. 

A makeup date is scheduled on the 9th week at the same day and time.  Parents must attend at least seven classes, including the first and last class, to receive a certificate of completion.  

Upcoming Classes:  Summer Lunch and Learn

Wednesdays, July 5-August 23 

12:00-1:30pm on Zoom

Coparenting education classes are for:

• Coparents together
• Coparents individually
• Parents newly separated 
• Parents with ongoing coparenting conflict
• Parents never married
• Parents preparing for mediation
• Parents with or without a Court Order
• Parents interested in learning how to become coparents
• Parents interested in learning how to be better coparents
• Parents interested in child-focused coparenting

Topics included in cooperative coparenting classes:

• The impact conflict has on children
• How to replace destructive reactions with constructive responses
• Practical skills to manage anger, increase impulse control, resolve conflict and talk without arguing 
• How to set up a two home communication system
• Identify and confront negative patterns
• Taking more responsibility
• Handling finances
• Dealing with typical issues such as returning clothing
• Handling transfers/exchanges
• The impact of a significant other

Coparenting Education

Coparents- individually or together- can receive the same coparenting education without attending a group class.  Education sessions are scheduled for eight or sixteen weeks, meet for 90 minutes per week, and follow the Cooperative Coparenting through Separation or Divorce curriculum.  Individual/coparent sessions allow parents to explore topics more extensively than attending a group class.

Coparenting education for individuals/coparents is typically scheduled on Zoom, but parents can meet in-person.  If both parents cannot agree on the length of the sessions- 8 or 16 weeks- the sessions will default to 8 weeks.  Coparents with a documented history or domestic violence and/or a current Protective Order may not be able to attend the sessions together. 

The cost of coparenting education for individuals is $96 per week and for coparents is $144 per week.  Discounts are available for payment in full prior to the class start date.   Weekly payments will be paid online and are due 24 hour prior to the start of the session.; parents who have missed their payment cannot attend the session.   Cancellation fees will apply.  There are no refunds for weekly payments.  Unused portions of full payments can be applied to future session dates one time during an 8-week course and 2 times during a 16-week course.. 

Coparenting Coaching

Coparenting coaching is a supplement to coparenting education for individuals/coparents that focuses on a family's specific coparenting situation.  Coaching with Neutral Ground Solutions is not therapy; it is skill-based learning that includes identifying healthier coparenting perspectives, identifying relevant tools, skills and resources, and exploring potential options for resolution.  Coparenting coaching is only offered alongside coparenting education and is not a stand-alone service. 

Coaching does not include assessments or recommendations, or aim to resolve the coparenting conflict during the coaching sessions.  However, parents may find that conflicts can be resolved as the coaching process takes place.  

How does coaching work?

Coaching sessions are scheduled for thirty minutes each week directly following the 90-minute education session.  The total weekly session for education + coaching is two hours.  

For the coaching session, each coparent will prepare a coparenting issue, topic, concern, question, or snippet of communication to bring to the session to discuss.  The instructor will coach or guide coparents in exploring the topic together through thought-provoking questions and discussion, and help identify tangible tools and skills to create possible solutions.  Each coparenting topic for coaching will be discussed during the session and a summary of the session will be emailed to each coparent for review and reference.

The cost of coparenting coaching for individuals is $32 per week and for coparents is $48 per week in addition to coparenting education.  All coparenting education fee, payment, and cancellation rules apply. 

Cooperative Coparenting through Separation or Divorce covers all the fundamentals of moving toward a functional coparenting relationship.  The course is designed with updated video content, PowerPoint visuals, and engaging activities.   Each parent will receive a workbook, weekly instruction for eight or sixteen sessions, discussion and activities with the instructor, engaging homework, and a certificate of completion upon meeting course requirements.    

Written by therapists Susan Boyan and Ann Marie Termini, it is the most extensive, informative, and interactive cooperative parenting resource to date examining the complex realities of divorce and separation. 

Topics included in Cooperative Coparenting Education:

• The impact conflict has on children
• How to replace destructive reactions with constructive responses
• Practical skills to manage anger, increase impulse control, resolve conflict and talk without arguing 
• How to set up a two home communication system
• Identify and confront negative patterns
• Taking more responsibility
• Handling finances
• Dealing with typical issues such as returning clothing
• Handling transfers/exchanges
• The impact of a significant other