The Use of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Children of High-Conflict Divorce

Abstract

Children may experience high-conflict divorces as a traumatic event. High-conflict divorces, which can be characterized by two or more years of hostility, difficulty communicating, and litigation, can contribute to emotional and physiological dysregulation as well as an increase in maladaptive cognitions and behaviors. Additionally, high-conflict divorce can lead to ruptured relational attachments and disconnection between parent and child. This chapter informs readers how the use of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, which includes sessions for parent and child, can mitigate the dysregulation and disconnection resulting from the trauma of high-conflict divorce. A case illustration is included to detail the therapeutic application. Implications are offered for mental health providers and researchers to expand the use of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with children experiencing high-conflict divorce.