Group Therapy for High-Conflict Divorce

Margreet Visser is a clinical psychologist/psychotherapist and senior researcher at The Children’s Trauma Center (KJTC) Kenter Jeugdhulp in the Netherlands. She is specialized in working with traumatized children and their families. Her research focusses on the impact of destructive parental conflicts on children and their families.Justine van Lawick is clinical psychologist, family therapist and co-founder of the Lorentzhuis. She is a senior trainer in the Netherlands and abroad.

"This book provides an incredibly comprehensive, yet rich and sophisticated guide to working with families using the No Kids in the Middle programme. van Lawick and Visser describe the innovative approach and its theoretical underpinnings with clarity, while sensitively addressing the many complexities of working with high conflict separated parents and their children. In the same way that the program aims to help parents, this book will help professionals to see new possibilities for approaching familiar difficulties and finding new solutions with the families they support."Emma Morris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Anna Freud National Center for Children and Families, LondonThis positive and creative contribution is the culmination of years of endeavour and practice by experienced therapists and clinicians in the complex arena of conflictual divorce and its consequences for children and their families. It stands as a shining example of effective practice that counteracts the ongoing unproductive conflicts between family members and their networks. In van Lawick and Visser’s approach, children become allies to change, rather than victims of conflict between parents, and their voices are strengthened through group participation. The elegance of this approach is how, in time, parents listen, hear, and are moved by the words of their children and become prepared to respond in more constructive ways as they try to manage life after divorce. The No Kids in the Middle programme is an expression of hope, creativity and resilience that deserves to be promoted widely in organizations offering a post divorce service particularly where adversarial approaches have failed to reach a liveable resolution for all involved." Jim Wilson, UKCP Systemic Family Therapy supervisor, author and international trainer in family therapy"When children get caught up right in the middle of their parents’ chronic and acrimonious conflicts, their mental health is often severely compromised. Creative and effective, this highly innovative approach puts children back in the centre of parental concerns. Essential reading for therapists and parents alike!"Eia Asen, Professor, Anna Freud Centre and University College London

• 1. Introduction; Part 1: Theory and Research; 2. Theoretical Basis; 3. Scientific Research; Part 2: Practice; 4. Methodology Outline; 5. The Keystones; 6. Intake and Referral; 7. The Network Meeting; 8. The Parent Group; 9. The Children’s Group; Epilogue; Appendices