Sally and Justin are newlyweds. This is Justin’s first marriage, but Sally is recently divorced from Ben
Sally and Justin are newlyweds. This is Justin’s first marriage, but Sally is recently divorced from Ben
Developmental Case Study: Post-Divorce Adjustment
Sally and Justin are newlyweds. This is Justin’s first marriage, but Sally is recently divorced from Ben. Sally and Ben have two children, Alex (10) and Sarah (5). Ben has custody of the children every other weekend. Here are their perspectives:
Alex and Sarah– Both children are having a hard time adjusting to their parents’ divorce. They don’t like having to share their mother’s attention with Justin (the stepfather), and Justin doesn’t seem interested in spending time with them. Both children state that they miss seeing their dad (Ben), and Alex especially misses playing soccer and going on camping trips with him.
Ben– Ben is angry about his divorce from Sally and with how quickly she has remarried. He would have preferred to work things out. He also misses his children and their former life together. He tries to stay in touch with them when they are apart, but it’s hard.
Sally– Sally felt that Ben was never there for her when they were married. The divorce was her idea, and she is happy that Justin seems to be a more attentive husband, but she is frustrated that he isn’t connecting with Alex and Sarah. Because she is eager to make her new family arrangement work, she often sabotages Ben’s efforts to stay in touch with Alex and Sarah and doesn’t keep him informed about activities at their school that he might like to participate in.
Justin– Justin is happy to be married after dating casually throughout his 20s. He hasn’t had a long-term relationship before, and he’s uncertain about how to make this new marriage succeed. He knows the children don’t accept him yet, but he isn’t sure how to connect with them, as he has very little experience with children. He wants this to work, but has doubts. He holds no animosity toward Ben and would like them to figure out how to forge a friendship to benefit the kids and so he can lean on Ben for advice about parenting.
Imagine you are a marriage and family therapy counselor working with Sally, Justin, Ben, and the children to make the transition successful. Use your textbook and required reading to answer the following questions:
- What factors play a role in helping children adjust to divorce?
- What advice would you have to help Alex and Sarah (the children) through this transition?
- Are there changes you would suggest in the custody arrangement?
- What are your suggested solutions that include all parties involved?
In your response to colleagues, see if you can locate opinions different from your own in your classmates’ Initial Posts and present a healthy, balanced debate. Or, build on your classmates’ suggestions and engage in a deeper discussion about solutions for this family.
Your initial posting should be 250-500 words and must be submitted by Thursday, midnight (MT), of this week. By Sunday at midnight (MT), respond to two or more of your classmates’ initial posts in one of the following ways:
- Build on something interesting or provocative that your classmate wrote.
- Explain why and how you see things differently.
- Ask a probing or clarifying question.
- Share your understanding of your classmate’s posting in your words.
- Offer and support an opinion with peer-reviewed sources or industry best-practices.
- Expand on your classmate’s posting by providing constructive feedback.
Keep in mind that you’re expected to engage critically and not editorially. Engage the material and cite, using APA(Links to an external site.), where necessary.
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