HIGH-CONFLICT FAMILY SERVICES
HIGH-CONFLICT FAMILY SERVICES
At PBA Psychology Group, we understand that separation and divorce can be emotionally taxing, especially when children are involved and especially when the parties struggle to resolve their difficulties. In high-conflict family situations, co-parenting challenges and fractured parent-child relationships can create long-term emotional distress on the adults, as well as the children, if not addressed with care and expertise. This is the case whether parents stay together, or split apart.
We are skilled and experienced in helping families work through issues of toxic communication, revenge and spite cycles, narcissistic abuse, parental alienation, coercive control, concerning parenting practices and refuse/resist dynamics.
Longstanding family disputes, sibling rivalry and extreme parental favoritism can also result in high-conflict within families. We understand these family challenges and are experienced in helping families find understanding and resolution.
At PBA, our team of expert clinicians offers experienced, compassionate, evidence-based support through Family Reunification Therapy, Co-Parenting Therapy, Parent Coaching, Therapeutic/Parenting Plan Coordination,Child Therapy, Teen Therapy, Couples Therapy and other services designed for high-conflict couples or families.
Engaging in these therapeutic services aimed at high conflict family situations can help a family avoid lengthy and very financially costly Court battles and reduce the emotional damage done to children and themselves in the process.
We have over 25 years of experience, are members of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and offer a no-nonsense team approach aimed at maximizing communication, increasing accountability and encouraging cooperation.
WHAT WE OFFER
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At PBA, we offer child therapy aimed at helping children address the emotional sequelae of a high conflict divorce, helping them to navigate a two-parent household and establish boundaries in a high conflict family. We also provide therapy aimed at preparing children for possible reunification with estranged parents.
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Co-Parenting Therapy is a specialized type of therapy that helps parents work together after divorce, focused on the best interest of the children. The aim is to improve communication, reduce conflict and establish a more collaborative and cooperation relationship between the parents. We aim to help parents understand the family dynamic and their roles in and reaction to the conflict and reduce the factors that may be sustaining the high conflict. This is accomplished by helping them shift their focus from combat to understanding the impact on their children and on supporting their well-being.
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Couples Therapy focuses on work with the couple in conflict or crisis. At PBA, our couples therapists are experienced and trained in working with challenging couple dynamics. The aim of this work is to assist the couple in understanding the conscious and unconscious traps that keep them bound in conflict with each other and assist them in improving communication, establishing clearer boundaries and improving trust so as to increase harmony.
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Family reunification therapy is a therapeutic process aimed at restoring and strengthening the relationship between a child and a parent when that relationship has been strained, damaged, or disrupted due to separation, divorce, estrangement, resist/refuse dynamics, or allegations of abuse or alienation. It is typically Court ordered but can proceed by an agreement between the parties involved.
No two Family Reunification Therapy cases look alike. At PBA, we design a therapy structure that is based on our evaluation of your specific current family functioning, individual parent functioning and child functioning in order to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome that is in the best interest of the children’s emotional health and wellbeing and best for the family functioning.
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Our practice is skilled at conducting psychological testing to evaluate mental health functioning where there are questions that affect the care and custody of children in the context of a Family Law matter.
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Parent Coaching focuses on helping parents manage all aspects of parenting and provides parent education on various developmental issues as well as education about parent self-care.
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PBA offers a supportive space for teens in high-conflict family situations to explore identity, emotions, and parental and romantic relationships while navigating the pressures of growing up. We are also skilled at addressing teen struggles such as depression, anxiety, trauma (including sexual trauma), substance use, acting out behaviors (including sexual acting out) and other concerns of adolescence. Our therapists are relatable and understand contemporary culture as well as the social challenges of our time and their impacts on teens.
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A Therapeutic or Parenting Plan Coordinator is a mental health professional who is assigned by the Court to help the parents make parenting and other decisions when their conflicts result in them being unable to come together to do so. They help mediate disputes, help develop parenting plans and may even monitor parents’ compliance with these plans. They help parents avoid costly and time-consuming Court battles.
OUR APPROACH
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Our approach always focuses on the best interest of the child and is aimed at assisting parents in shifting focus from a self-centered position to a child-centered position.
Our clinicians work from a place of compassion, understanding that high conflict situations result from pain in all parties involved and that all parties are harmed from the conflict.
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Our services are tailored to the needs of each specific family, respecting their cultural context and cultural values. We focus on building trust and rapport with parents and families and on communicating our understanding and respect for their culture.
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We understand the importance of maintaining clear and consistent boundaries in this work, maintaining accountability and setting firm limits when appropriate. We are fully transparent in our work with families and we take our obligation to the well-being of the children seriously.
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We work collaboratively with children, parents, caregivers, attorneys, and the Courts to prioritize the child’s emotional safety and well-being while helping families rebuild trust.
Given that we have several clinicians on our team, we are able to offer a team approach to this work, housing the therapy for different family members under one roof while maintaining clear boundaries in the work.
OUR ARTICLES ABOUT HIGH-CONFLICT RELATIONSHIPS
When Love Turns to Hate: Navigating High-Conflict Marriage and Divorce
Parental Estrangement: When Distance Creates Misunderstanding
Why You Shouldn’t Turn Your Child Into Your Therapist, Especially During a Divorce
Impact vs. Intent: Understanding the Keys to Effective Communication in Relationships
Parental Favoritism and Sibling Rivalry: How Early Family Dynamics Shape Identity
“I Hate to Break This To You, But They’re Not Going to Change”
Narcissists and Echoists in Relationship: A Love Story Gone Wrong
The Fear of Intimacy: Cat and Mouse Games in Relationships
GETTING STARTED
If you are seeking support for family reunification or navigating a high-conflict divorce, our clinicians are here to help. Whether you are self-referred, attorney-referred, or Court-ordered, we offer thoughtful consultations to determine the best course of care.
Contact us today to learn more or request an appointment.
CONTACT US TODAY:
Phone: 310.271.2275
Office Locations:
BEVERLY HILLS
9350 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 212
Beverly Hills, CA 90212