Many parents worry about their kids when there is constant court involvement behind the scenes. You may be divorced from the person, but not from the cycles of conflict and pain.
You’re stressed. You lose sleep. You mourn for the vision you had of your child’s upbringing- that there would be peace.
Instead, you get a racing heart when your co-parent’s name pops up on an email, and tense parenting time exchanges at a court approved neutral location.
How do you help your children when a person you loved has suddenly become an enemy?
Lion Mind Parenting uses the power of the group to help you move forward with the courage and strength to use the situation for growth and even flourishing.
What you gain from the Lion Mind Parenting model is not just a set of skills. It’s developing an inner structure that solidifies parenting as a practice, regulation as a way of life, and connection as paramount- especially when court is involved with your family.
You will learn to:
-Notice and work your triggers in real time using a simple tool you'll use for the rest of your life. This will help you move towards balanced decision making rather than moving from emotion.
-See through your child's eyes; a practice that changes how you understand your child’s behavior and allows you to prioritize connection.
-Own your part with realistic self-appraisal, without shaming and guilting yourself, and learning to shift your approach from victim to empowered adult
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 program is developed for families navigating high-conflict co-parenting, separation, divorce, reunification, and court-involved parenting challenges. In Lion Mind groups, parents use self-reflection, non-coercive accountability, and tapping into a desire to learn and grow. In group, parents explore the emotional and relational patterns that keep anger and hurt alive and teaches them how to respond in order to reduce its impact on children. The goal is to give you knowledge, tools, and support to parent well while in the midst of the incredible pressures of family court.
Through 10 structured lessons, parents learn:
New ways to recognize and handle triggers
Refine decision-making and judgment under pressure
The hidden impacts of a post-separation high conflict parenting relationship on children
Reduce emotional contagion and loyalty binds
Use developmentally appropriate discipline and expectations
Communicate with your coparent in neutral, child-focused ways
Learn how to recognize when you are engaging in unhealthy behaviors
Enrich your relationship with your child when you have a difficult co-parenting dynamic
Using maturity awareness for de-escalating conflict
Taking ownership of your part and changes you need to make
Model relational repair and accountability, teaching the value of working through issues
Groups are capped at 6-8 members to ensure the highest quality of care and learning.
Investment: Participation begins with your initial 45-minute intake session which is $120.
Sessions are held weekly in my office 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 by introducing a concept, followed by discussion and ending with practical application. Participants will receive a manual with all materials.
Co-parents attend sessions on separate days.
Add-on sessions:
In addition to Lion Mind Parenting, parents can engage in family sessions with their children to practice validation and other skills learned during Lion Mind, build trust, and mend rifts.