The Role of the Child Specialist in Collaborative

Since Timby Hunt works with very important people in the Collaborative process, we thought it would be great to have some of them write a new page for the website from time to time. So, leading off, here is a short page written by Erin Tighe von Zuben, Ph.D, who is a child psychologist:

The Role of the Child Specialist as Part of the Collaborative Divorce Process

The collaborative divorce process gives children a clear "voice". As part of this process, the role of the child specialist is designed to accurately identify, frame, and support these voices so that they are appropriately represented and addressed.



In essence, the child specialist is a neutral party whose primary responsibility is bringing children's needs into clear focus in a way that informs decisions and choices made by the parents that affect their children’s lives. The child specialist is not a therapist, and remains focused on seeking the best decisions for the interest of the children involved as they relate to the family’s divorce. Their role is not treatment but fact gathering, recommendation development, and advocacy within the team.

The child specialist is a licensed mental health professional with special expertise in helping families through a divorce. They serve as a neutral consultant to families and children going through divorce, and in essence, represent and advocates for the best interest the children and adolescents involved.

A child specialist will often meet with parents in an effort to better understand their concerns about their child(ren) and about co-parenting with the other parent. A child specialist also meets with children as a way to gauge their responses and needs as part of the divorce process.

A Child Specialist can:

• Provide children with the opportunity to express their feelings and concerns and regarding the divorce.
• Offer parents guidance, education, and assistance in facilitating parenting decisions
• Help parents recognize and address the emotional and psychological states and needs of children during this difficult time.
• Assist in constructing a developmentally-appropriate and child-centered parenting plan.
• Assess and prepare an appropriate list of child-centered recommendations to be given to the team for the purposes of incorporating them into the divorce agreement.

http://www.erinvonzuben.com/
215-906-0588
Offices in Doylestown and Yardley