Course Outline

This is a professionally developed online co-parent education program. If the court must pre-approve your co-parenting course, please print this course outline and submit it to the court or your legal representative.

Printer Friendly Version

SECTION 1: BEGINNING YOUR JOURNEY

• The Importance of Collaborative Co-Parenting for Your Children
• Creating a New Life
• Letting Go of the Past
• The Wisdom of Forgiveness
• What is Unique About Your Children?
• Understanding Children’s Emotions
• Voices of the Children

SECTION 2: COLLABORATIVE CO-PARENTING

• Transitioning from Marriage Partners to Parenting Partners
• Talking to Children About Divorce
• Building Trust Between Co-Parents
• Children’s Need for Trust
• Writing a Mission Statement
• Co-Parenting Guidelines
• Weekly Updates
• Why Have Co-Parent Meetings?
• Annual Meetings

SECTION 3: RESOLVING CONFLICT

• Conflict in Divorce and Breakups
• How Divorce Affects Children
• Powerful Tools for Communication
• Positive Body Language
• Choosing the Right Words
• How to Keep People From Pushing Your Buttons
• Picking Your Battles

SECTION 4: MANAGING EMOTIONS

• Exploring Emotions
• How to Distinguish Fear from Wisdom
• Tools for Managing Emotions
• The Importance of Movement on Emotions
• The Importance of a Healthy Diet on Emotions
• Using Meditation to Manage Emotions
• Understanding Fear
• Understanding Anger
• Operating From A Place of Wisdom
• Setting Goals

SECTION 5: APPRECIATING DIFFERENCES

• Knowing Yourself
• The DISC Assessment
• Appreciating Different Parenting Styles
• Gender Differences
• Money Differences
• Religious Differences
• Respecting Differences

SECTION 6: PARENTING TOOLS

• Twelve Positive Discipline Parenting Tools
• Single Parenting
• Balancing Work, Parenting and Play
• Listening to Your Children
• Teamwork: Family Meetings
• Teaching Children About Money

SECTION 7: PARENTING PLANS

• Children’s Ages, Needs and Developmental Stages
• Designing the Parent Plan
• Siblings and the Parent Plan
• Changing the Parent Plan
• Exchanging Information
• Scheduling and Sample Calendars

SECTION 8: SPECIAL CHALLENGES

• Long-Distance Parenting
• Parallel Parenting
• Impacts of Secondhand Smoke
• Information about Drugs and Alcohol
• Information about Addiction
• Information about Domestic Violence
• Significant Others