Stuart Showalter
Child custody decisions are not about the law, but are judgments based upon parenting skills and behaviours. Get on the path to making yours optimal - now!
Life Coaching & Counseling
Finding the correct fit for your Parent-Child relationship
Weekly Life Coaching
I present this option first because I have determined that the best course to take for determining your circumstances, setting goals, and developing a plan of action is to get together once a week to pursue those objectives. If you have come to me you have likely found your life in turmoil and realize that professional assistance may be necessary to get yourself on a course that will optimize your parent-child relationship. How to go about it may be an enigma. Through weekly meetings lasting about two hours we are able to guide your progress while keeping abreast of and responding to any immediate developments.
depending upon individual circumstances this phase can last from as little as a month to a year or more. Most often, it takes less than half a year. Once you have a plan and are implementing it successfully then infrequent meetings shall serve your needs sufficiently. At that time you can move onto the Incidental Consultation phase.
Review and Analysis
This can be a phase following the Incidental Consultation phase or a type of service standing on its own. If you are successfully progressing toward your goals and responding to changes in circumstances without accompanying anxiety or disruption to life then it is time for the Review and Analysis phase. During this time I simply observe the totality of your parent-child relationship, the parent-parent relationship, the legal proceedings, and the status of your goal continuum. From those I provide an objective report to you from which you can use your skills to formulate appropriate responses or adjustments to your plan.
Another aspect of Review and Analysis is for making assessments of an attorney, the court proceedings, or to obtain an objective opinion of yourself. All may seem to be going well or you may be uncomfortable with your current attorney. The legal proceedings may be ongoing and dragging on with no end in sight. Whatever the status a Review and Analysis may turn up something that could be lurking and do harm to your objectives.
Incidental Consultation
During this phase you are successfully on course to meeting your objectives but may have an acute issue to address such as a job loss or the plan of action may need to be adjusted to meet other changing circumstances. Likewise, the other parent may file a Motion to Relocate which, based upon distance, may require a change in the parenting time schedule.
Whether your circumstances change, the other parent seeks to change your circumstances, or simply through your child progressing through stages of life you may still need occasional consultation. These can be frequent at times or quite infrequent but should occur at least once per quarter year until you have fully developed the skills to objectively address these issues and make any beneficial adjustments.