Cass County officials help families dealing with divorce
Cass County Court employees are teaming up with family doctors to help families get the support they need in difficult times. They’ve created a parenting academy to help families when divorce and separation are involved.
The doctors and court employees want you to think of this as an opportunity to learn in a class setting rather than a treatment session. The classes are designed to inform and educate parents about steps they can take to deal with the struggles they face.
“Equipping parents with tools for basic conflict resolution. Teach them how to communicate effectively with one another. Help them to make joint decisions, decisions about education, health care, religion, enrollment in sports and extracurricular activities,” said Dr. Becky Katovsich, Clinical Director at Shepard House Counseling.
Dr. Becky Katovsich normally works with families one-on-one at Shepard House Counseling in Michigan, but she says these classes allow for her and the team to address larger groups all at once and in a more relaxed setting.
Co-parenting strategies and ways to handle tough issues will be addressed. The Director of the Cass County Friend of the Court says they come across many parents who sometimes have court orders telling them what they can and can’t do. So they decided to give parents the opportunity to see what they can do.
“You know, when you raise a child or children in separate homes, it takes a lot more skills than it does when you raise a child together. You know, when you have a two couple home where they’re both in the home with the child, you kind of figure it out as you go along, but those things are a lot harder to navigate when you don’t have a relationship anymore,” said Carol Montavon Bealor, Director of Cass County Friend of the Court
It’s a free, interactive learning opportunity for parents raising children in separate homes or going through divorce. The classes are being offered to the entire community.
The series is set up in 5 modules which are held at the Cass County main library branch. See dates and times in photo attached to this article. It is free and open to the public.