A five-week online course: Reducing the Impact of Separation on Everyone

About the event

Whether you are newly separated or have been separated and co-parenting for a while, having a straightforward co-parenting relationship with your ex-partner can be fraught with difficulties. This is where we can help.

This evidence informed, five-week online course is designed to help all separated parents navigate and improve their coparenting relationship with their ex-partner and is particularly relevant to those parent struggling with high levels of coparenting conflict.

This is the feedback from a family solicitor of a parent who came along to a previous rise course:

‘After speaking with the parent, I noted the dramatic and apparent change in them, and their ability to deal with situations. They admitted that they felt empowered and more confident, and they indicated that they were far more in control of their own responses and ability to deflect the negatives they receive from the other parent.’

Course Overview:

• Purpose: Help separated parents reduce the impact of the separation on themselves and their children.
• Format: Online, 5-week course – each session is 1.5 hours
• Who can attend: Any separated parent where at least 1 parent lives in Somerset, UK
• Cost: Free
• Course Content:
  • Week 1: Managing family emotions in day-to-day family life.
  • Week 2: Developing a business -like relationship with your ex-partner, including coparenting communications.
  • Week 3: Helping your children cope with separation.
  • Week 4: Managing attitudes, handovers and transitions.
  • Week 5: Managing ongoing coparenting challenges.
• Facilitator: Ruth James, Reducing Parental Conflict Co-ordinator, Somerset Council who is experienced in working with separated parents.
• Benefits: Support and advice for navigating a high conflict co-parent relationship and what you can do to reduce the level of conflict.
• Helping you build a stronger relationship with your children is the focus for the course.
• Learning how you can reduce the the emotional and practical impact of separation or divorce on you and your children in your day-to-day family life.
• Support from other parents on the course is often highlighted as a massive benefit from those who have attended previous course.
• What parents have said about previous courses Ruth has run: ‘Safe space to talk, no judgements.’ ‘Worth going to. Feels supportive.’ ‘I went away with practical ideas to improve my co-parenting relationship’.

Other information:

• Two courses run in the same week, so each parent can go along to a different course.
  • Course a: Tuesdays: 3, 10, 17 November, 1, 8 December 7.30pm to 9pm
  • Course b: Wednesdays 4, 11, 17 November, 2, 9 December 9.30am to 11am
• About both courses and how book your place:
  • This course is not suitable if there has been domestic abuse in the relationship. If there is domestic abuse, please go to Somerset Domestic Abuse for more support.
  • Once you have booked your place, Ruth will share more information about the course and will be in touch to arrange a quick chat to make sure the course is suitable for you.
  • Please get in touch if you have any questions or need more information: Ruth James ruth.james@somerset.gov.uk

For more information about relationship support for parents please