Helping Parents to Develop a Shared Narrative for Their Kids:
The Idea v. The Real

Presented by: Kate Scharff, LCSW-C, LICSW

Wednesday, February 11, 2026
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM - SOCIAL
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM - PRESENTATION
Zoom

In Collaborative Practice, the process of crafting a parenting plan often begins with helping clients to develop a “shared narrative,” an explanatory story to offer their children in discussions about the divorce. In our way of working (unlike in litigation, where a win/lose paradigm encourages the weaponization of parental vulnerabilities), we aim to help our clients set aside hurt, anger, and the wish to blame—so they can come up with a child-centered narrative they can both accept as authentic. When things go well, clients will take in our support and our informed guidance in the service of that goal. But it’s never a cake walk; there are always emotional sticky wickets to navigate.

In this presentation we’ll examine the underpinnings of a couple’s relative success or failure at finding the overlap in the Venn diagram of their separate perspectives. We’ll unpack some classic fact patterns and couple dynamics (from the ordinarily difficult to outright impossible), so we can examine factors (in us, in our clients) that contribute to a particular couple’s success or failure at keeping their kids’ needs front and center. Finally, we’ll discuss specific strategies for helping couples of all stripes to craft their own highest-order shared narrative.

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Please note: This meeting will be conducted by Zoom. Please contact the DCACP Adminstrator at DCACP.office@gmail.com for more meeting information. Kindly submit an RSVP below to record your attendance.

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