Programs & Services > Families in Transition > Student information
Information for students
Background
During the last three decades there has been a dramatic increase in the number of families experiencing separation and divorce in North America . There is no evidence to suggest that, although increasingly more commonplace, divorce is an easy transition for children and parents. There does not appear to be "safety in numbers". How parents manage the divorce process strongly influences how children cope with the family changes and the extent to which they are at psychological risk (Amato, 1994; Freeman, 1998; Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1996; 2003).
Several themes emerge from the literature concerning divorce and children. Divorce is not a single event. It is a complex process that unfolds over time and requires a series of reorganizations and adjustments. How children cope with parental divorce is affected by developmental stage, temperament, cognitive capacities, and personal resilience. Child adjustment is influenced by the number and severity of divorce-related stressors experienced.
Helping changing families
The Family Service Toronto has provided specialized services to separating and divorcing families since 1977. FIT research examined treatment outcomes for children and parents in 1980 with the financial support of Health & Welfare Canada and again in 1990 with the financial support of Human Resources Development Canada. The more recent research project is described in the publication, Successful Family Transition (Freeman, 1995).
Our research demonstrated that many children are resilient and can learn to manage the challenges and stress parental separation creates. Divorce-specific interventions that build and restore competence can reduce reliance on social and legal systems. Preventive interventions that educate and support parents are an important component of successful family transition when they are introduced early in the process. Focused intervention plans, with clearly articulated goals reflecting children's unique qualities, are recommended as a means of fostering resilience. Programs and policies that address factors known to mediate child adjustment and adaptation (i.e., parental conflict, parenting capacity, parenting partnerships) are recommended.
FIT provides preventive interventions for people living, studying or working in Toronto that focus on supporting child adjustment to separation, divorce, and remarriage. Our United Way affiliation permits us to offer counselling and groups on a sliding scale based on family size and income. Interventions offered by FIT at the present time include therapeutic group programs for children and their parents, support groups for non-residential fathers and mothers, short-term individual and family counselling, educational group programs, and closed mediation of parenting plans. These programs provide an opportunity for separating families to learn about:
- Reducing parent conflict
- Building effective parenting partnerships
- Supporting children’s grieving
- Strengthening child-parent relationships
- Creating parenting coalitions
Programs for blending families focus on:
- Resolving the past as part of moving forward
- Strengthening stepfamily relationships
- Defining roles and boundaries
- Establishing a parenting and discipline strategy
- Developing stepfamily routines and traditions
Further information
Libraries have numerous books about divorce. The Canadian Mental Health Association, The Ministry of the Attorney General ( Ontario ) and the Department of Justice ( Canada ) and Health Canada have publications about divorce. The following references may also be useful.
Ahrons, C. (2004). We’re still family: What grown children have to say about their parents’ divorce. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Amato, P. (1994). Lifespan adjustment of children to their parents’ divorce. The Future of Children, 4, p.143-164.
Freeman, R. (1995). Successful family transition: An evaluation of intervention strategies. Toronto : Family Service Association of Toronto .
Freeman, R. (1998). Parenting after divorce: Using research to inform decision-making about children. Canadian Journal of Family Law, 15, 79-130.
Freeman, R. (1999). When parents part: Helping children adjust.Transition, 27, 10-13.
Freeman, R. (2001). Parenting plans: Making decisions in children’s best interests. In Niman, H. and Svardi, G. (Eds.). Special Lectures 2000: Family Law, A colloquium on "Best Interests of the Child: New perspectives on the resolution of custody disputes" (78-135). Toronto : Law Society of Upper Canada .
Freeman, R. and Freeman, G. (2001). Appendix A: Report on youth workshops (89-104). In IER Planning, Research, and Management Services, Custody, access and child support in Canada : Report on Federal-Provincial-Territorial Consultations. Ottawa : Department of Justice ( Canada ).
Freeman, R. and Freeman, G. (2003). Managing Contact Difficulties: A child-centred approach. Ottawa : Department of Justice ( Canada ). 2003-FCY-5E.
Galatzer-Levy, R. and Kraus, L. (1999). The scientific basis of child custody decisions. New York : John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Hetherington, M. and Kelly, J. (2002). For better or for worse: divorce reconsidered. New York : W.W. Norton.
Hetherington, M., Bridges, M. and Insabella, G. (1998). What matters? What does not? Five perspectives on the association between marital transitions and children's adjustment. American Psychologist, 53, 167-184.
Johnston, J. and Roseby, V. (1997). In the name of the child: A developmental approach to understanding and helping children of conflicted and violent divorce. New York : The Free Press.
Kalter, N. (1990). Growing up with divorce. New York : The Free Press.
Kelly, J. (2000). Children’s adjustment in conflicted marriage and divorce: A decade review of research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 39, 693-785.
Maccoby, E. and Mnookin, R. (1992). Dividing the child: The social and legal dilemmas of custody. Cambridge , MA : Harvard University Press.
Marcil-Gratton, N. (1998). Growing up with mom and dad? The intricate family life courses of Canadian children. Ottawa : Minister of Industry (Statistics Canada ). Catalogue No. 89-566-XIE.
Stahl, P. (2000). Parenting after divorce: A guide to resolving conflicts and meeting your children’s needs. Atascadero , CA : Impact Publishers, Inc.
Wallerstein, J. and Blakeslee, S. (1996). Second chances: Men, women, and children a decade after divorce. (Revised edition). New York : Ticknor & Fields.
Wallerstein, J. and Blakeslee, S. (2003). What about the kids? Raising your child before, during and after divorce: New York : Hyperion.
Wallerstein, J. and Kelly J. (1996). Surviving the breakup: How children and parents cope with divorce. (Revised edition). New York : Basic Books.
Wallerstein, J., Lewis, J. and Blakeslee, S. (2000). The unexpected legacy of divorce: A 25 year landmark study. New York : Hyperion.
Canadian internet resources:
Special Joint Parliamentary Committee,
Parliament of Canada
Website: http://www.parl.gc.ca
Click on English/French
Click on 36 th Parliament, 1 st session
Click on Joint Committees
Click on Committee List
Click on Child Custody and Access
Department
of Justice (Canada)
Website: http://canada.justice.gc.ca
Information about divorce legislation, the government’s Strategy
for Reform, and related issues
Ministry of the Attorney
General (Ontario)
Website: http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca
Click on “Family Justice Matters”
To arrange for counselling, please call our Service Access Unit, Tel: 416.595.9618
