Divorce & Children

Divorce is hard on everyone involved. What many parents don’t realize is that children are often the ones who come out of a divorce worse for the wear. The short-term vs. long-term effects of divorce on children depend on the child’s age when the divorce occurs. The effects also depend on whether the split is amicable or full of drama. Counseling can help parents learn how to minimize the impact on their young children amid divorce.

Children can benefit from routine during their formative years. Divorce changes routine and forces this change upon children. Not only do they witness their parents fall out of love, but they must learn to live in two separate locations and adjust to life with single parents. These changes are very unfamiliar and can take children many months/years to adjust fully. Unfortunately, many children have difficulty accepting a new routine since they hold on to the thought that these changes are temporary. Adolescent children do not understand why their mothers and fathers do not live together anymore. Divorce is an abstract idea that makes coping very difficult. No matter how amicable a divorce may be, children are still molded by this life-changing event.


Seeking out professional marriage counseling or divorce coaching in our Gaithersburg office. Kentlands Psychotherapy can help parents learn how to help their children through this difficult time. Counseling can also help the couple learn to co-parent to ease the stress on their children. It is both parents’ job to reduce the overall impact of their dissolution of marriage on their children, and Kentlands Psychotherapy can help.

It's not an easy time to be a kid. Perhaps it never is, but now it's especially true. Let us help you understand and support your child's needs.

Is your teen struggling with school, in their relationships with friends, with you? Do they seem irritable, withdrawn, unmotivated, sad? Our therapist know how to help.

Are you looking to make some aspect of your otherwise good relationship better? Maybe you’ve tried all the strategies that make sense to you.