More than 1 million children experience divorce each year in the US. If you have questions about child custody and visitation, contact our firm to schedule a consultation with an experienced family law attorney.
Learn More About Child Custody and Visitation
The attorneys of Murphy & Dunn, P.C. help clients negotiate, mediate or litigate workable and reasonable parenting plans, including arrangements for child custody and visitation.
To learn more about family law issues related to children, please visit the child custody and visitation sections of our Web site and review the general information below. To arrange a free initial consultation with an experienced family law attorney, please contact our office in Peoria, Illinois.
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For legal representation in matters of child custody and visitation, people in Peoria and the surrounding area trust Murphy & Dunn, P.C.. We are the largest law firm in central Illinois that is dedicated exclusively to family law matters. Please call us toll free at 866-681-5405 to arrange a free consultation and case evaluation.
When it comes to child custody and visitation, decisions are not based on what is fair to the parents, but on what is in the best interests of the child or children. Our lawyers will work to help you develop a reasonable parenting plan that works for your family.
Divorce Education
The ongoing health and mental well-being of children during divorce often depends upon how their parents interact following the decision to end the marriage. An experienced family law attorney at Murphy & Dunn, P.C. in Peoria, Illinois, can inform, guide and support you throughout the divorce and custody process.
Potential Problems in Children with Divorcing Parents
Divorce brings along with it all kinds of uncomfortable feelings, including fear, regret, anger and sadness. Parents, however, aren't the only ones who can feel this way; children also may experience these feelings. When parents are armed with the knowledge of how to shepherd their children through the divorce process, the children fare much better.
When parents clash or stop communicating, their children are more likely to have academic, psychological, self-esteem and social problems. Divorce education is an attempt to address these issues. Divorce education is a class or series of classes focusing on giving you and your children's other parent the tools to interact with each other positively, especially when it comes to your children. The state in which you are divorcing may even require some type of divorce education.
What Divorce Education Programs Do
Most programs teach the following:
- Impact of family conflict on children
- Building effective parenting plans
- Developmental needs of children
- Creating new family relationships
- Developing positive co-parenting
- Preventing parent alienation syndrome (P.A.S.)
- Satisfying the child's best interests
Participants typically report that they find the programs helpful, even if the only reason they attended was because of a court order or legal requirement to do so.
Classes for Kids
In addition to divorce education for adults, many jurisdictions have added an educational component designed to directly help children living through divorce. In the programs, children are usually divided into groups depending on their age. Being with other children experiencing the same difficulties often lets kids express their feelings. Through games, drawing and writing guided by trained facilitators, the children learn to understand the meaning of divorce in their family and cope with this significant change. Most programs provide tools for solving current problems as well as potential future difficulties.
Together, adult divorce education and children's divorce support programs are helping to reshape the divorce landscape. Parents who attend divorce education programs are learning techniques for keeping their kids as happy and healthy as possible during and after the divorce process. Given the rate of divorce today, the efforts parents make and the accomplishments they achieve through divorce education will benefit both their children and overall society.
Speak to a Child Custody Lawyer
If you want to learn more about divorce education opportunities where you live, contact your local family court or a family law attorney with experience in child custody and visitation. A family law attorney at Murphy & Dunn, P.C. in Peoria, Illinois, can tell you which divorce education components are required in your state and county.
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