Family relationships do not disappear when couples end their partnership. For the sake of their children, parents must continue to communicate with each other in matters of child-rearing. The parents' behavior greatly affects how well a child adapts to the new family structure.

Unrelenting parental conflict harms children. It is the single most important predictor of poor adjustment in children following a divorce.

Cooperative Parenting and Divorce is an educational program designed to teach parents to recognize their own harmful behaviors and provide the skills to change. The overall goal of Cooperative Parenting and Divorce is to give children the opportunity to grow in a home environment without being caught in the middle of parental conflict.

Helping Children Cope With Divorce and similar education seminars have helped countless parents understand how divorce affects their children. But for some, a four-hour video seminar is not enough to help them make the transition from former partner to co-parent.

More and more judges have recognized this fact, and are insisting that parents learn skills to reduce children's exposure to parental conflict and avoid unnecessary litigation. This course is one of Bexar County's efforts to fill this need.

Cooperative Parenting and Divorce is an innovative program that puts children first while creating promising solutions that focus on education and the prevention of parental conflict.

Who Should Attend:

• This program is available to parents who have volunteered or been ordered by the Court to attend Cooperative Parenting

Schedule of Classes - PDF Format || Web Format

Cooperative Parenting and Divorce benefits children by:

• Reducing the child's symptoms of stress as parental conflict decreases
• Diminishing the child's sense of being caught in the middle
• Allowing the child to love both parents
• Creating a more relaxed home atmosphere, allowing the child to adjust more effectively
• Teaching effective communication and conflict-resolution skills as modeled by their parents
• Increasing the likelihood of keeping two active parents in the child's life

Make the decision to protect your children from needless emotional harm.

Cooperative Parenting and Divorce explores the issues associated with divorce through an interactive group format that creates a supportive, safe learning environment.

About the Program

• Eight weekly 2-hour classes
• Small class sizes: No more than 15 parents
• Meets the requirements of the Bexar County District Courts for parents mandated to attend cooperative parenting education
• Offered at convenient hours for working parents - Tuesday or Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
• Reasonable cost. For those ordered by the Bexar County courts to attend, fee is based on the participant's income, and ranges from $0 to $35 per session per parent, plus an intake fee that ranges from $0 to $65. [Fee Schedule here]. Non-mandated participants and those mandated from a county other than Bexar pay $35 for each of the eight sessions, plus $75 for the intake session.
• Incorporates skill development, group discussion, parent interaction, and weekly homework assignments to develop and practice new skills
• Evidence based approach-the program works

Call Bexar Family Solutions at 210.320.2999 to schedule an intake appointment.

You will be asked to fill out some paperwork, then you will meet with the class facilitator for a brief interview and receive your participant workbook. This may take up to one hour.

Things to bring to your appointment:

If you are eligible for a reduced fee, bring proof of income with you (e.g., recent paystubs)

A copy of the order that states you must attend the course, if one exists. You may need to contact your attorney to get a copy.

Payment for the intake appointment. Please note we do not accept personal checks. Cash, money orders, certified checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover are welcome.

If you prefer, you can download and complete much of the paperwork in advance.

Download Registration Forms here.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the forms.