Separated Families

We offer counselling support for children and young people who are struggling with their parent’s separation.

This can be a difficult time, children experience a loss of their routine and not seeing each parent every day as usual. They can struggle with their sleep, a general feeling of nervousness, a change in their behaviour or a withdrawal from their usual activities.

It can help children and young people to talk with someone outside of the family in a confidential space where they can talk openly without the worry of upsetting either parent.

Before you can begin to support your children, it is important for you to feel supported and you have had an opportunity to work through your feelings. It is tough, even if the decision to separate was yours.

Sometimes, when it is helpful, our counsellors will work with a parent and young person together.

Here are some resources which you may find helpful:

Books for Children

My Parents Divorce, Julia Cole, ISBN 0761308695, Copper Beech Books
For 4-8 years. Discusses why divorce happens, how to cope with it, and how to deal with difficult feelings.

How do I feel about my stepfamily?, Julie Johnson, ISBN 0749636297, Franklin Watts
For 4-8 years. Young people in stepfamilies describe how they cope with having stepbrothers, stepsisters, stepparents and offer tips on dealing with change in your family.

Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson, ISBN 0440863112, Corgi Juvenile
For 9-12 years. A hard look at joint-custody life, the book follows Andrea West and her tiny stuffed rabbit, Radish, through the painful adjustment of being a kid with divorced parents.

Step by Wicked Step, Anne Fine, ISBN 0140366474, Puffin books
For 9-12 years. Five children gather around a mysterious diary and share an evening of stories about their lives and trials, discovering common bonds in adversity. This is a story about the effects of divorce and remarriage upon children.