• Reasons for Co-Parent Psychotherapy
• Goals of Co-Parent Psychotherapy
• Privacy in Co-Parent Psychotherapy
• E-mail Rules for Co-Parent Psychotherapy
• What Co-Parent Psychotherapy Is Not
• Before Co-Parent Psychotherapy Begins
• The Co-Parent Psychotherapy Process
• An Impasse in Co-Parent Psychotherapy
• Termination of Co-Parent Psychotherapy

• Reduce parental conflict and enhance cooperation

• Quickly resolve disputes between parents about the children

• Assist child's (children's) coping with their parents conflict

• Reduce post-divorce litigation

• Enhance parenting skills

1. From now on, co-parents are not to have any physical or verbal contact. Communication is to occur by e-mail only.

2. A copy of every e-mail message is to be sent to the PETP co-parent psychotherapist.

3. Only one e-mail message can be sent per day pertaining to one issue.

4. E-mail messages are to be no longer 100 words per message.

5. If a response is not received to e-mail within 24 hours, the same e-mail must be sent again.

6. The content of the e-mail message must follow the rules of common courtesy. This means no accusatory language, no harsh tone, and no rude behavior. The parent receiving the message is to suggest solutions to the other parents concern in the next e-mail message.

7. Before sending your e-mail, you should review it to ensure that it meets the courtesy standard described under rule number six.

8. Do not complain about the other parents behavior. Instead, send an e-mail message that requests an explanation of the behavior.

9. Inquiries concerning your co-parents behavior must be sent by e-mail within 4 hours of the event.

10. No new e-mail inquiries about the other parent's assumed behavior can occur until the other parent has responded to the initial inquiry.

11. Inquiries should include seeking more details of an alleged event.

12. All e-mail sent to your co-parent psychotherapist is not confidential. If you send e-mail addressed only to the co-parent psychotherapist, it will be forwarded to your co-parent.

• The co-parent psychotherapist is not an investigator and is not part of the legal decision-making process.

• The co-parent psychotherapist does not provide information to lawyers, guardians ad litem (GALs), or the court. The exceptions, of course, are in the area of mandatory reporting described above.

• Co-parent psychotherapy is not case management.

• Co-parent psychotherapy is not parenting skills training for one parent.

• Co-parent psychotherapy is not an appropriate approach to use in cases with on-going family violence, untreated sexual abuse, or on-going substance abuse.

• Co-parent psychotherapy is not psychological evaluation or treatment for one party. Each party's parenting and communication skills are evaluated and both parents will improve interaction styles and change negative patterns for the benefit of the child(ren).

Phase Two

Once phase one is completed, PETP will assign the sliding fee and send the Allegation forms and the Release of Information forms. The second fee covers the evaluation and creation of the treatment plan in Phase Two. In this phase, your co-parent psychotherapist will review documents, interview your co-parent and you, conduct parent-child observations, contact other professionals, all of which will contribute to the development of the treatment plan.

You will present your concerns in the Allegation forms. Please fill out a form for each concern you have. Provide the two most recent examples and the worst example of each concern.

The fee for this phase will be based on the sliding fee scale. Send the fee to PETP with completed allegation forms, prior parenting evaluations, guardian ad litem (GAL) reports, psychotherapy reports, educational reports, and any documents that will help your co-parent psychotherapist understand your child (children)s needs.

Release of Information forms should be completed and returned for all therapy and educational providers working with your co-parent, your child (children), and you. Return these with the other forms listed in number eight.

The co-parent psychotherapist will use the information to create a treatment plan. This will be discussed with your co-parent and you in separate, individual meetings with the co-parent psychotherapist. This happens in phase three.

Phase Three

Your co-parent psychotherapist will contact you to set up a meeting. During your first meeting with your co-parent psychotherapist, you will discuss what was learned from reviewing your paperwork. You and the co-parent psychotherapist will discuss the treatment plan and come to an agreement about the next steps.

Once the plan is agreed upon, the co-parent psychotherapist and you will begin following the treatment plan.

Your treatment could include:

• Individual sessions

• Sessions with your child

• Observation sessions of your child and you

• Assignments to complete outside of co-parent psychotherapy

• Review of all e-mail contacts

• Responses and interventions in e-mail contact

• Educational materials

• Recommendations for additional assessment or treatment services

The fee for co-parent psychotherapy is paid in advance. This is based on the sliding fee scale. Before your first meeting, the co-parent psychotherapist will let you and your co-parent know the fee. You will bring your half of the fee to your first meeting with your co-parent psychotherapist. The fee will cover the first 20 hours of service. At the end of the 20 hours, services will be reassessed and a new plan developed as needed.

During all phases of co-parent psychotherapy you will contact your co-parent only through e-mail. Review of your e-mail messages is provided as part of the 20 hours of co-parent psychotherapy. Each e-mail message reviewed is charged at $5. Any e-mail message reviewed that requires a response from the co-parent psychotherapist is charged at $20 per e-mail message.

If an issue cannot be resolved through the co-parent psychotherapy process the co-parent psychotherapist can declare an impasse.

The co-parent psychotherapy process will be determined to be at an impasse if:

• The psychotherapist declares it because of:

  • Noncompliance with the terms of the psychotherapy;

  • Incomplete or unequal participation by the parties or their child;

  • Lack of the parties' or the child's personal readiness;

  • Domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse, denial of access to the child;

  • Failure to maintain a three-hour retainer fee balance for services.

• A party or their child may declare an impasse and the psychotherapist agrees (because of one of the preceding reasons).

• Three co-parent psychotherapy sessions with parties have produced no substantial progress.

• Mutual agreement of the parties.

An impasse will be handled in one or more of the following ways as designated by the psychotherapist:

• Ending treatment by the psychotherapist without any prejudice.

• Starting a party or a child in other psychological evaluation or treatment as specified above.

• Resuming the psychotherapy process after a sufficient period of time, not to exceed 90 days, and the parties have followed the interim recommendations of the psychotherapist during this period of time.

• Arbitrating the impasse through the services of one of three qualified arbitrators. PETP will provide three options.

• Any arbitration decision shall remain mandatory on the parties. If either party appeals an arbitration decision to the Court, the party who files the appeal must pay the retainer fees of the other party. Unless the legal position of the appealing party is significantly improved, the appealing party must pay the entire fees and costs of the action in the Court.

Termination of co-parent psychotherapy is based upon the parents and co-parent psychotherapists assessment and decision about the degree to which therapy goals have been met. Co-parent psychotherapy may also terminate if the parents reach a sustained impasse or violate the terms of the treatment contract, at which time their dispute resolution process shall be initiated.