Couples Therapy in Alexandria

How do I coparent?

Do you want to make sure you are a team when parenting? Coparenting is when parents work collaboratively in order to share equal responsibility in the upbringing of their children. A solid foundation for coparenting can take a while to establish. With clear common goals and communication, it is possible to be a strong parenting unit with your partner.

Want To Feel Like a United Parenting Team? Alexandria Coparenting Therapy Can Help.

When parenting, it is important to feel as though it is a united effort. If it feels as though there is miscommunication or certain boundaries are not set universally, it can cause relationship strife between both the parents and the children. Visiting a coparenting therapist near you can help to establish clear communication, boundaries, and objectives for coparenting.

Alexandria, Virginia, has some strong options for evidence-based co-parenting therapy. The goal of the therapy sessions is to help to unify the parents in their decision-making processes. Our Alexandria therapists work with parents to help with the health of the parents and children alike. Visit a coparenting therapist near you to learn more.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

The Three Types of Coparenting

Individual coparenting styles may differ slightly based on the unique goals and needs of both the parents and children. There is not going to be a universal “one size fits all” approach to coparenting. There are, however, 3 types of coparenting which most people fall into. The three types of coparenting are:

Parallel parenting involves a high degree of conflict or relationship issues. With this style of parenting, the parents often operate almost entirely separately from each other. This is due to disagreements with parenting styles and or the rules and boundaries set. With the style of parenting, each parent sets their boundaries and rules for their own household, but does not have a say in what the other parent does. There is also often limited communication between the adults. The parenting essentially occurs on two islands without intentional collaboration.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

Conflicted coparenting, which is also known as high conflict coparenting, is a parenting style that involves collaboration but is marked by ongoing arguments. With conflicted coparenting, there is an effort to co-parent, but conflicts may make the attempts unsuccessful. This may look like the parents working together to set boundaries, but failing to successfully enforce them equally. It could also be due to a communication breakdown within the family. If you are struggling with this parenting style, a coparenting therapist near you can help.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

Cooperative coparenting is when there is successful collaboration on all aspects of parenting. There are clear boundaries and communication that allow for all decisions and responsibilities to be equally shared. For example, with cooperative coparenting, when deciding an expectation such as a bedtime, the parents would first consult with each other and come to an agreement, and then set the boundary with the child or children. From minor to major decisions, there is communication and agreement on every choice.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

Coparenting and Family Therapists in Alexandria

Parenting does not have to be conflict-ridden or isolated. In Alexandria, there are qualified coparenting therapists who can help to cultivate a cooperative coparenting style.

What Are the Biggest Coparenting Mistakes?

Coparenting is not always going to feel easy. However, if coparenting leads to constant arguments or puts a strain on the relationship between the parents and the children, that is a sign some common mistakes may be occurring. Some of the biggest coparenting mistakes include:

No boundaries
Acting as individuals rather than a team
Complaining about your coparent to your children
Frequent arguments in front of the child
Disregarding what your coparent says
Ignoring or rapidly changing rules between households

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

What Will Coparenting Therapy Teach You

Coparenting therapy is beneficial for parents who are separated but want to collaborate on the upbringing of their child or children. Coparenting therapy has a lot of benefits for both the parents and children. Some concepts that coparenting therapy can teach individuals or help with include:

Coparenting therapy can help to establish clear lines of communication between the parents. It can also help with fostering communication between parents and children.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

Coparenting therapy can help to resolve existing conflicts and to reduce the occurrence of new ones.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

Seeing a coparenting therapist can help parents to create clear and consistent boundaries to enforce with the child or children.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting

The goal of coparenting therapy overall is to ensure that all individuals within the family unit can live their healthiest lives.

Find an Alexandria Therapist for Coparenting