Bringing the Voices of Children Into the Divorce Process SAFELY with Child Specialist, Kathleen Zumpano on The Divorce & Beyond Podcast #201

In this week's episode, Host Susan Guthrie is joined by Child Specialist, Kathleen Zumpano, who is an expert and pioneer in techniques and methods for safely bringing the voices of children into the divorce process. Divorce professionals the world over shudder at the thought of children being put in the middle of their parents' divorces.  We have nightmares about that question, "Which parent do you want to live with?" so for ages the prevailing wisdom has been to keep the children as far from the courtroom and professionals as possible, but then aren't they somewhat lost in the process?  Kathleen Zumpano, MA, LMFT believes passionately that the voices of children should be heard when divorce affects truly every aspect of their lives - BUT IT MUST DONE SAFELY!  Kathleen specializes in child-inclusive mediation, which includes individual, private meetings with the children, to ensure that feedback given to parents includes the child's own experiences and feelings.  She shares important insights and information on this child centered process that will open your mind, and your heart, to the possibilities! This is a very important episode for all parents going through divorce AND the professionals who assist them! SPECIAL GIFT:  To download copies of Kathleen's FREE resource on “The Voice of the Child” and “A Child’s Experience” visit her website at www.kathleenzumpano.com! FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:  Kathleen will be holding a special workshop on The Voice of the Child: Bringing the Voices of Children into the Divorce Process on October 21, 2021 - JOIN US! This workshop will introduce participants to the best practices of incorporating a child’s voice into divorce proceedings to improve outcomes for families and without putting children in the middle. There are prevailing international protocols for working with children, this workshop will provide an overview of research, as well as introduce participants to tools for screening parents, determining the level of involvement of the child, how information is elicited and how to prepare parents to hear feedback and information regarding their child/ren. Find out more and Register HERE: https://mostenguthrie.com/voice-of-the-child ************************************************ More Information About This Week's Special Guest:  Kathleen Zumpano, MA, MFT is a former marriage and family therapist, who currently works as a  child specialist, family mediator and divorce coach. She has dedicated more than 15 years to helping families transition in a child-focused way. Her specialties are high-conflict and complex dynamics including resist and refuse as well as children under the age of five. She has a private practice physically based in Portland, Oregon, but helps families across the country with online services. Kathleen is a contributing author in Mosten and Cordover’s 2018 ABA Published book Building Successful Collaborative Law Practice (2018). Kathleen authored a chapter on use of child specialists in collaborative law. She is also a co-author of “Commentary on Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Family Law” published in the July 2018 Issue of the Family Court Review. Contact Kathleen Zumpano: Website  www.kathleenzumpano.com Social Media Handles  Instagram - @kathleenzumpano ********************** MEET OUR CREATOR AND HOST: SUSAN GUTHRIE®, ESQ., the creator and host of The Divorce and Beyond® Podcast, is nationally recognized as one of the top family law and divorce mediation attorneys in the country.  Susan is a member of the Executive Council of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution and is the Founder of Divorce in a Better Way® which provides a curated selection of resources and information for those facing divorce and other life changes.  Internationally renowned as one of the leading experts in online mediation, Susan created her Learn to Mediate Online® program and has trained more than 18,000 professionals in how to transition their practice onli