Separation, divorce, and everything that follows can be profoundly difficult and emotionally challenging — especially for children. With nearly two decades of experience working with children, many of whom have struggled through their parents’ separation or divorce, Katelyn believes the role of the child specialist is invaluable. In a process that is primarily parent-driven, Katelyn ensures that children’s voices are thoughtfully represented. She helps parents make informed, developmentally appropriate decisions by sharing an accurate understanding of how their children are coping and by providing psychoeducation on child development and adjustment.

The Role of the Child Specialist

The role of the child specialist originated within the Collaborative Divorce Process as a way for parents to meaningfully integrate their children’s unique needs and perspectives into parenting plan decisions. In this process, the child specialist serves as a neutral advocate for the child(ren), meeting with them directly to understand their experiences, concerns, and developmental needs. The specialist then shares this information with the parents and collaborative team to help create a parenting plan that truly supports the well-being of the entire family.

While this role is essential within the Collaborative Process, a child specialist can also be highly valuable outside of the Collaborative Process, particularly when parents are struggling to make child-related decisions or simply want to better understand how their children are coping.

A child specialist may be engaged to:

• Assess whether a child may benefit from therapy

• Provide insight when changes in custody are being considered

• Support families through transitions in living arrangements

• Help parents navigate the introduction of new partners

It is Katelyn’s hope, as a child specialist, that she can help families come up with an agreement that ensures the well-being of their children now and long into the future.

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative divorce is a voluntary dispute resolution process in which parties settle without resorting to litigation. The collaborative process encourages creative problem solving, and engages the strengths of a collaborative team of professionals (Collaborative attorneys, coaches, a child specialist, and a financial specialist) to achieve a resolution that is most workable for each client and for the family as a whole. All professionals share a mutual commitment and responsibility to collaborate with each other and each client to ensure that the process is positive and productive.

To learn more about Collaborative Divorce, check out the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals or Montgomery County’s Collaborative Divorce Resolutions Professionals.