Post-Divorce Family Counseling

My experience of families working through the process of divorce goes back long before I ever received a doctorate in family counseling. In 1990, my wife and I separated and divorced. At the time our boys were nine, eight and seven. While relatively civil to each other during the process, we both discovered that the legal system was not structured to be supportive of our family nor compassionate toward our children.

Since 1990, the legal system has made some significant improvements. Nonetheless, the system is still adversarial by its nature. We have some way to go before it can be said that the legal system is conducive to a calm and rational resolution when couples with children divorce. Aware of this gap, I have devoted decades of work addressing the needs of families. I help parents put the pieces of their post-divorce lives, and the lives of their children, back together again.

I help parents establish, or reestablish, a strong foundation tailored to the unique needs of their family. We create an expanded family structure that the children can rely on, while still being flexible enough to handle their never-ending and always changing needs. In turn, I work with parents now moving in new directions as single adults with children.

My decades of experience working as a family counselor and my previous work as a custody evaluator and parenting coordinator – all tempered by my personal experiences – may make me the right person to address your needs. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you as your family moves through and beyond the process of divorce.

Theoretical Approach

My theoretical approach to post-divorce family counseling is cognitive/behavioral with additional attention paid to developmental stages and existential/spiritual issues. My work centers on enhancing communication between parents while helping them develop a tailored set of conflict management skills. That said, some of the most persistent challenges can often be solved by having me serve as your objective set of fresh eyes on a particular problem. Or, recalling how a previous family with a similar challenge overcame the problem.

When providing post-divorce family counseling, I first meet individually with both parents. This session is done via telehealth and is a free consultation. If we agree to move forward, our next two visits will be in person: the father and all the children at the mother’s home and then the mother and all the children at the father’s home. On occasion, I will ask stepparents to participate. Subsequent sessions will be done via telehealth.

Meeting in homes and incorporating stepparents can sometimes be a little intimidating for everyone, particularly the children. On rare occasions, when deemed not appropriate for safety reasons, an alternative methodology will be employed.

Fee Schedule

I know that parents love their children more than they hate dealing with their ex-spouse. My goal in counseling is to make those “dealings” productive, if not enjoyable. I wish I could do this for free, given how disruptive “dealings” can be to children. Nonetheless, I believe you’ll find my fees far less expensive than returning to court and taking your chances.

• Each initial telehealth consultation is free and scheduled for 15 minutes.
• Each in-home session is $200 and scheduled for 60 minutes. These sessions service as individual intakes and assessments.
• Subsequent sessions are all telehealth based, $125 per session, and scheduled for 55 minutes.

Individuals living outside the In Pinellas/Pasco/West Hillsborough County areas will be charged a $50 transportation fee plus milage for the in-home session(s).