Relational Neuroscience Based Co-Parenting

Kristine Clay, Parent Coach and Therapist

Episode Overview

Co-parenting coach Kristine Clay shares how divorce relationship dynamics impact the neuroscience or hard wiring in our children’s brains. Further, she points out how parents can integrate concepts of integrative parenting to improve their relationship with their partnering parent. We know from research in neuroscience that the brain’s connections are formed, even changed by experience.

Kristine works with divorcing parents to help bring a balance, a strong resiliency and confidence to their children and enhance their relationship with them. An important benefit to Kristine’s work is the opportunity to learn new ways to interact with an ex or partnering parent. Parents can get creative about negotiations, flexibility and problem solving during a divorce or after a divorce. As a coach, Kristine can help parents learn a new “dance” with their ex that will lead to increased communication and decreased tensions, and surely benefits the children.

Key Discussion Points

1:09 What is relational Neuroscience?
2:22 Defining career moment where Kristine’s passion for relational neuroscience became her passion
4:44 How a child is impacted when one parent alienates a child from their other parent
8:00 Impact of neuroscience on parental hard wiring of their children
9:05 How relational neuroscience can positively impact children’s future relationships
10:18 How parental polarizing causes children to be loyal to one parent, and its impact on the child
12:06 How Kristine helps repair damaged parent-child attachment
13:20 How relational neuroscience can help “re-wire” a person
14:22 Significance of experiential brain wiring for divorcing families
16:25 How do children experience conflict during divorce and how can parents help them cope with stressors
17:45 The importance of rituals with children post-divorce
19:35 The impact on children of a disruption of rituals
23:15 Long distance parenting strategies
25:00 Dealing with difficult exes