ADEPT (After Divorce: Effective Parenting Techniques) Program

ADEPT (After Divorce: Effective Parenting Together)

What is ADEPT?

ADEPT is an educational and communication skills training program that serves the children of Oakland County by training parents to effectively co-parent. Co-parents learn to use appropriate communication rather than engaging in conflict and additional litigations, which has a detrimental effect on the children.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Have a current case with Friend of the Court in Oakland County
• Be unable to resolve conflicts through other methods
• Be divorced (or separated if never married) for at least one year
• No current PPO in effect
• Both co-parents able to attend the same 8-week series
• Must be available to attend all 8 meetings
• Agree not to initiate any new litigation during the 8 weeks of the class.

Co-Parents are Eligible for ADEPT

Parents served by ADEPT are those who are at risk of or who continue to engage in moderate to high conflict after a judgment of divorce has been entered in their case. They will be co-parents who are unable to effectively cooperate and work together to parent because of hostility, anger and poor communication with each other. Often mediations have been unsuccessful with on-going difficulties over one or more parenting issues.

How Do Co-Parents Get Referred to ADEPT?

Upon recommendation of the Friend of the Court Family Counselor, co-parents may attend voluntarily or be mandated by court-order to attend ADEPT. Referrals for ADEPT can be sent to the Circuit Court/Family Division Psychological Clinic on the ADEPT referral form.

How Does ADEPT Work?

The goal of ADEPT is to train parents to communicate more effectively for the sake of their children. During the eight weeks of the ADEPT program, co-parents are educated about the risks of on-going conflict on the psychological and educational adjustment of children. At the same time, co-parents are encouraged to take responsibility for the communication problems that exist with their co-parent and to learn more successful methods of communicating and resolving conflicts.

Co-parents gradually interact with each other to pinpoint their most important conflicts and begin to use both communication techniques and effective conflict resolution skills to begin to resolve their arguments and conflicts.

ADEPT is a group program and co-parents never interact with each other without supervision and coaching. They learn new techniques of communication, practice these skills, are given homework assignments and must demonstrate their use of the skills they have learned in the weekly classes. The co-leaders and the other co-parents present provide a supportive and encouraging environment that enhances the learning of and use of new ways to communicate about old conflicts.

When Does ADEPT Meet?

ADEPT is an eight week series that meets once a week in the evening at the Oakland County Courthouse in Pontiac.  Co-parents are given schedules at least 30 days ahead of time in order to plan for this series.

What Does ADEPT Cost?

There is no cost to co-parents for ADEPT. The program is run by the staff of the Oakland County Circuit/Court Family Division's Psychological Clinic.

Where Can I Get Information?

For more information, contact the Psychological Clinic at 248-858-0065. Or call James Windell, M.A. at 248-858-0086.