Kids in the Thick of Post-Divorce Conflict

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Handouts/Brochure

Speaker

Steven O'Brien, PsyD Related seminars and products

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Steve O’Brien, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families in his Clearwater, Florida practice. He is a respected national consultant for mental health professionals seeking guidance on the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and adjustment challenges in divorced and blended families.

 

Since 2017, Dr. O’Brien has provided continuing education and professional training for mental health clinicians, focusing on evidence-based interventions for anxiety, depression, and neurodevelopmental disorders in youth. He is the author of The Essential Guide to Treating Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety, a clinical manual designed to enhance treatment outcomes.

 

His integrative-systems approach combines CBT, interpersonal techniques, and exposure/desensitization strategies, all tailored to the developmental needs of young clients and their families. Intensive parent consultation—emphasizing psychoeducation, communication skills, and behavior modification—is a cornerstone of his therapeutic work.

 

Dr. O’Brien has worked in numerous healthcare environments, including community mental health, psychiatric, inpatient/residential, substance abuse, and medical facilities. He also served as associate professor of child-adolescent studies at the Florida School of Professional Psychology. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. O’Brien is an app developer (Life@Home by Psychtouch.com) and a frequent guest on local news outlets for his expertise on childhood anxiety. Visit obrienpsychology.com for more information.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Steven O'Brien maintains a private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Steven O’Brien is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Florida Psychological Association.

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Objectives

1. Identify the primary psychological and interpersonal factors fueling post-divorce conflict and its effect on children’s functioning to inform/guide treatment. 
2. Provide psychoeducation to parents about the interplay of child development and child-parent interactions which maintain post-divorce conflict to promote conflict-diffusing co-parenting. 
3. Equip children with age-appropriate cognitive-behavioral, self-soothing, and communication skills for better managing distress and obtaining parental support.  

Outline

 Post-Divorce Conflict:  Identifying Core Contributors  

•  Parental factors: anxiety, resentment, depression, substance use, personality pathology 
•  Child factors: anxiety/depression, temperament, neurodiversity, developmental levels 
•  Parent-child factors: goodness-of-fit, pre-existing relational qualities, motivational aspects 
•  Risks and limitations 

 Psychoeducation on Post-Divorce Dynamics 

•  Literal vs symbolic child communication 
•  Child intentions and secondary gain 
•  Transition challenges 
•  Parental idealization and position vacillation 

 Conflict-Diffusing Co-Parenting 

•  Explorative tone vs assumptive/accusatory 
•  Emotionally neutral or positive vs intense or negative 
•  Co-parenting apps and communication structures/boundaries 
•  Self-regulation, self-care, and support systems 

 Therapeutic Strategies for Distressed/Dysregulated Children  

•  Psychoeducation to promote healthy conflict depersonalization 
•  Discovering their relaxation preferences 
•  Mindfulness 101 
•  3 R’s of anxiety management and other skill-building strategies 
•  “Bubbling” and other transition tips 

 Guidelines for Child-Focused Family sessions 

•  Therapeutic preparation for kids and parents 
•  Working in subsystems vs whole family 
•  Maintaining emotional homeostasis 
•  Redirecting, reframing, and modeling for improved communication 

Target Audience

• Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors 
• Psychologists 
• Social Workers
• Marriage & Family Therapists 
• Teachers/School-Based Personnel
• School Administrators
• Case Managers 
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists 
• Nurses