046: Teaching Kids to Cope: The Program Born from One Father’s Divorce Story with Dr. Don Gordon

In this episode of the Children First Family Law podcast, Krista Nash talks with Dr. Don Gordon, a clinical child psychologist and Executive Director of the Center for Divorce Education. Dr. Gordon shares how his personal experience with high-conflict divorce shaped his mission to help families reduce stress and improve parent-child relationships through evidence-based education.

Their conversation centers around “Children in Between,” a widely used court-mandated parenting program, and its new companion course for kids. Dr. Gordon explains why emotional literacy, stress reduction, and safe communication are critical tools for children during separation and divorce. He also discusses the neuroscience of fight-or-flight responses in parents, how to interrupt reactive behaviors, and why involving kids in conversations about their feelings changes outcomes for life.

Divorce doesn’t have to break a child’s emotional foundation if we give families the tools to manage it with care.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Parents need training for co-parenting under stress, not just general parenting
• Children benefit when they learn how to name, share, and manage emotions
• Divorce stress impacts a child’s long-term relationships and mental health
• Online programs can support families with low-cost, effective tools
• Teaching emotional regulation improves how parents and kids relate
• Kids internalize conflict when they feel caught between two parents
• Loyalty conflicts do more harm than divorce itself
• Involving both parents in emotional coaching gives kids double the support
• When parents model calm responses, kids learn resilience
• Proactive education reduces litigation and emotional fallout

Resources from this Episode

www.childreninbetweenforkids.com 

www.childreninbetween.com

online.divorce-education.com

www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com

All states have different laws; be sure you are checking out your state laws specifically surrounding divorce. Krista is a licensed attorney in Colorado and Wyoming but is not providing through this podcast legal advice. Please be sure to seek independent legal counsel in your area for your specific situation. 

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