The “Lion Mind” is a metaphor from Larry Rosenberg’s book, “Breath by Breath.” The story goes that if a person waves a bone in front of a dog’s face and throws it, you would predict, “the dog will mindlessly follow the bone.”  If you wave the same bone in front a lion’s face, you might hesitate to answer what the lion would do. With the dog in the metaphor, the person who controls the bone controls the dog. The lion has more composure and therefore more choices. The lion considers what is in front of, what is behind, and what is to the sides of its view.

Using this metaphor as a guide, Lion Mind Parenting is an integrative, psychoeducational parenting program developed for families navigating high-conflict co-parenting, separation, divorce, reunification, and court-involved parenting challenges.

Lion Mind Parenting groups are specifically for parents going through a divorce with a high level of court involvement. This could include having the involvement of FOCs and GALs, multiple hearings, parenting evaluations, and multiple motions being filed. Groups are capped at 5 members to ensure the highest quality of care and learning. The groups are psychoeducational with a participatory component to reinforce learning and increase your confidence in navigating a high-stakes divorce. Lion Mind Parenting teaches parents how to focus more on what they care about most- their children, and lessen the impact of court involvement on the family. Using models that promote self-reflection, non-coercive accountability-taking, and raising compassionate children, Lion Mind Parenting  helps parents understand the emotional and relational patterns that keep anger and hurt alive — and teaches them how to respond in order to reduce the impact of a high conflict situation on children.

Through 10 structured lessons,  parents learn:

• New ways to regulate emotions

• Refine decision-making and judgment under pressure

• The impacts of high conflict on children

• Reduce emotional contagion and loyalty binds

• Use developmentally appropriate discipline and expectations

• Communicate with your coparent in neutral, child-focused ways

• Recognize gatekeeping and triangulation

• Learn how to enrich your relationship with your child when you have a difficult co-parenting dynamic

• Learn how to de-escalate conflict

• Taking ownership of your part and changes you need to make

• Model relational repair and accountability, teaching the value of working through issues

The goal is to give you knowledge, tools, and support to parent well while in the midst of the pressures of family court.

Investment in terms of time and money: Participation begins with your initial intake session which is $160. Sessions are held weekly and are $75 per 75 minute session. The group is 10 sessions long after which you will receive a certificate of completion. Sessions are structured with an educational component, followed by discussion and practical application.