Moving on After a Separation
Separation caused by parental alienation, divorce, custody disputes, or foster placement can wreak havoc on the parent-child bond. Families often need guidance and support to repair and strengthen that bond once they can reunify. Reunification therapy can be useful in situations where a family needs help rebuilding damaged relationships. In reunification therapy, families work together with a therapist to overcome the challenges they face in becoming a whole family again.
Trusting the Process
Returning to normal family life after a period of separation can be a challenge. When a child’s sense of trust in a parent or caregiver is damaged, it must be repaired. Reunification therapy centers on building that trust and repairing those bonds between parent and child. But this process can’t be rushed.
Typically, reunification therapy starts with the therapist establishing a trusting relationship with the child on his or her own. Then, both parents will also work with the therapist individually to address the specific issues affecting them. The therapist will also work with the family as a whole to address the specific and general problems that must be resolved for the family to come together healthily.
For the family that has dealt with separation, alienation, or child abuse allegations, reunification therapy can repair the damage and restore trust and security in both child and parent. But the process of reunification is fraught with complications and can’t be rushed without compromising on results. This can be frustrating, especially if the separation or alienation was not of your choosing. Understanding that it happens in steps, which aren’t always linear, is the key to giving the process time to work. Also, it’s important to understand you are working both separately and as a team with the therapist. Lastly, you must have patience, as a child’s trust in his or her parent or caregiver can take time to be rebuilt. There is no way to expedite the process of helping a child trust a parent after a bond has been damaged. Nevertheless, reunification therapy has helped many families find strength and solidarity after traumatic ordeals such as involvement with CPS or parental alienation.
Keeping Your Family Together
Separation from one’s child is perhaps one of the toughest experiences a parent can go through. The process of reunification therapy can work to heal the wounds of separation, but it’s always best to avoid separation at all costs before the damage is done. If you are dealing with child abuse or alienation issues, however, it can be difficult to know how to react and what decisions to make to protect your child’s best interests. Working closely with an experienced New Jersey child welfare attorney can help you make informed, thought-out decisions regarding your family. An attorney can help you navigate your case step by step and assist you with the process of reunifying with your child.
If you are separated from your child, the Williams Law Group, LLC is here to help. The experienced child abuse defense attorneys at Williams Law Group, LLC can help you through the reunification process step by step. Located in Short Hills, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.