National Family Resiliency Center, Inc.
Discounted Co-Parenting Sessions
The Circuit Court of Howard County and the National Family Resiliency Center have developed parent education programs for parents separating, divorcing, or for parents who never lived together, with the goals of providing information and support to make child-focused decisions, learning to work constructively as co-parents and remaining decision makers about their children.
Experiencing a family transition is difficult. There are multiple losses, a particularly painful loss, the loss of not seeing your children 24/7, support of a second parent and fear of losing more time with children and having financial constraints.
If you and your child’s co-parent can work together, demonstrate respect, and roll up your sleeves and work, you can be parents who support their children throughout their lives.
Prerequisite: Completion of Parents and Co-Parents Forever Seminar:
To access Parents and Co-Parents Forever seminar, please visit www.nfrchelp.org and click on the blue bar at the top of the home page. The cost of this program is $100.00 per person.
Discounted Private Co-Parenting Sessions after Completion of Parents and Co-Parents Forever Seminar:
In addition to having parents attend NFRC’s parent education program, NFRC, with court support, has developed a six session co parent program for parents to help parents create a child focused parent plan. Parents can also work with a mediator to further develop the plan and should consult with a lawyer to review the document before signing.
This court supported program offers parents the opportunity to participate together, as co parents to address the needs of children, improve their co-parent communication and facilitate co-parent decision making.
Co-parenting consultation sessions, provided by NFRC trained co-parent counselors, will be available for parents who have limited financial resources to pay the full fee of $250 for co-parenting consultation. If you qualify, the reduced fee will be as low as $50 per person for each session, a savings of $75.00 for each parent.
After completing the Co-Parent seminar, if accepted into the program,
· NFRC will offer six, one-hour virtual co-parent consultations to help you reach agreement about major aspects of your children’s lives.
· Counselors can meet and hear the needs of your children which can, without breaking children’s confidentiality, be relayed to parents, and be taken into consideration when parents are making decisions. This is often part of NFRC’s co-parent work with research supporting the approach of parents’ hearing about their children’s perspective when children agree to have an NFRC co-parent counselor discuss thoughts and feelings they have agreed to share, with parents.
· Assist you in participating in a more constructive and active way in mediation sessions, following your co-parent sessions with an NFRC counselor.
· You will complete, when possible, a child-focused parent plan that you can submit to your mediator, attorney and or judge. If it is not completed, you can finish it with one of the professionals mentioned.
To be eligible for co-parent sessions with a co-parent counselor, the following guidelines apply:
CRITERIA FOR SELCTION
· Parents are willing to pay a reduced fee for six sessions.
· Parents’ attorneys, if they have an attorney, support their clients’ participation.
· Parents have no history of domestic violence.
· Parents can identify their own and their other parent’s strengths.
· Parents can speak about their children without criticizing their co-parent.
APPLICATION AND FEES:
Co-Parent Sessions:
The cost of working with an individual co-parent counselor will be $50 per session for each parent. (This is a discount of $87.50 per person per session.) The total fee for co-parents is $75. If you decide that one parent will pay more, that is your decision.
To apply, please contact:
Libby Killo
Assistant Director
410-740-9553 x100
ask@nfrchelp.org
For court-related questions, please contact:
Lisa Mohink, Esq.
Circuit Court of Howard County
Deputy Court Administrator
410-313-2293