Coparenting: An Alternative to Consider in Separation Counselling

Abstract

SynopsisCoparenting as an alternative to traditional custody–access post separation parenting was investigated in an exploratory study with ten parents and two children. All participants were interviewed regarding the structure, influences on structure, effects of conflict, effects on children and overall evaluation of the coparenting situation they had instituted. Data revealed that there was little reason to assume that this process of parenting had any damaging effects on children, and added further support to recent claims that it is ongoing conflict rather than divorce per se which leads to behavioural and emotional problems in children who experience divorce.