Helping Postdivorce Families Enhance Parent–Child Relationships: Clinical Applications to Effectively Help Divorced Parents Appropriately Communicate Their New Romance With Children

Abstract

Parental separation itself may be painful for both divorcing parents and children; however, this may not be the only stressful event in family structure among postdivorce families. Most divorced parents may start seeking a new romantic relationship before, during, and/or soon after their divorce or separation is finalized. Given that postdivorce dating may develop as a meaningful, stable, and supportive family tie, such as a stepparent–stepchild relationship, parents must communicate their new relationship with children if this relationship trajectory is anticipated. However, few guidelines based on empirical evidence are available regarding how to appropriately share their postdivorce dating. An overview of the literature on divorced parents' new dating and their communication about this topic with children is provided. Best practices and innovative therapeutic approaches are discussed that are grounded in processes to foster family resilience that practitioners can utilize to better facilitate healthy and positive parent–child communication and family relationships.