Children Resisting a Parent

Divorce and separation can be hard to navigate, especially when children are involved. As always, it is important to centre the welfare of all children involved first and foremost and as such, we must be mindful of our actions and words, specifically how they can shape the perspective of our children.

The goal of reintegration counselling is to repair the relationship between a parent and their child(ren) when it has become disconnected. Reintegration counselling is appropriate a child is resisting a relationship or has a problem with one parent or when a child is refusing to have contact with one parent.

The therapeutic process works collaboratively with all families (including both parents) in order to re-establish a healthy parent-child relationship.

Resist/Refuse Dynamic:

“[is] A complex set of interacting factors, family dynamics, personality characteristics and vulnerabilities, conscious and unconscious motivations, and other idiosyncratic factors that combine to contribute to the unjustified rejection of a parent.” – Walters & Friedlander (2016)

The Resist/Refuse Dynamic takes a more holistic approach to the perceived conflict and the child’s response, often recognizing that the child’s feelings may have little or nothing to do with the parent’s behaviour or could be the result of multiple factors, not always tied to the influence of a parent over child.

Seeking Help?

If you’d like guidance or more information regarding children resisting a parent post separation, a good place to start would be to engage a trained professional with experience working in family conflict or custody agreements.

For more information, you can contact Refection Centre.