Estrangement Coaching

If you're exploring this page, you are likely estranged from one or more of your children, family members, or other loved ones. I am here to help you through this difficult, incomprehensible time. 

Estrangement is defined as “the state of being alienated or separated in feeling or affection” from a formerly close personal relationship. Parental estrangement, where I specialize, occurs when one or more of your children say, “I need a break from you” or “I don’t want to be in contact with you”. These comments break hearts and fill parents with fear and uncertainty.

You Are Not Alone

If you are estranged from a family member or loved one, you are likely feeling alone, sad, angry, helpless, hopeless, ashamed, and so confused. If it's any comfort, research indicates 11% of parents have been estranged from a loved one.

Estrangement affects every cell in your body and if you are estranged, your physical and mental health has likely suffered. I'm genuinely sorry for your loss of connection to your loved one. I know how you feel as I've been in your shoes. My experiences drive me to help others address their estrangement challenges. I offer individual coaching on how to cope with this challenge, reconciliation strategies, and a space for personal reflection.

I come to this work fully prepared to help you. I was trained and certified by Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., the preeminent expert on estrangement. He is the author of the best-selling book "The Rules of Estrangement." My training specialized in the social science research on estrangement and its treatment. Dr. Coleman’s 2021 article in The Atlantic article, A Shift in American Family Values is Fueling Estrangement, Joshua points out that "because the adult child typically initiates the estrangement, parents are often the ones who must take the first steps toward reconciliation." I work primarily with parents that are in this situation and need to take that first step.

Sometimes in divorce, one parent takes active measures to alienate their child from the other parent. This is called Parental Alienation. In these cases, navigating estrangement requires strategies for managing high-conflict or contentious relationships with co-parents. I coach clients in these complex situations, increasing the possibility that the child and the parent can heal and reconcile.

My coaching service does not replace therapy. As an Estrangement Coach, my goal is to be a thinking partner for people during this unimaginable journey. 

Why Hire an Estrangement Coach?

Living through estrangement is an intensely stressful life experience. You don’t have to navigate it alone. Here are just some of the many benefits to hiring me as your estrangement coach:

  • A safe and knowledgeable sounding board trained by estrangement expert, Joshua Coleman PhD.
    You'll face many important decisions ahead. Making the right choices requires guidance and knowledge. Joshua Coleman, Ph.D., has trained me in on the causes of estrangement and the methods used to overcome its trauma. In your confidential coaching sessions, we'll discuss potential scenarios, explore alternatives, and practice communication strategies with your children, ex-partner and family. 

  • Nurture yourself during an extraordinarily difficult experience.
    Estrangement with a loved one creates a situation filled with deep and painful emotions. Work through your feelings with a coach who has first-hand experience with parental estrangement, the reconciliation process, and beyond.

  • Create a path forward, even if you reconcile.
    You may find it unimaginable that there's a path to a happier life. No parent expects to be estranged from their child. No person needs to be estranged from a loved one. Through our coaching sessions, you'll gain knowledge, resiliency, and strength to create a happier life.

What We’ll Do Together

Parents estranged from their children are often stuck in their grief and can't imagine advancing in their life. There are very few circumstances where estrangement is justified. You can achieve happiness as you re-establish a relationship with your loved one. As an estrangement coach, I help individuals and couples on their estrangement journey by:

  • Exploring what happened and working through complicated feelings such as hopelessness, helplessness, despair, exhaustion, and intense sadness.

  • Determining whether reconciliation is possible or healthy

  • Strategizing how to re-connect with your loved one and making agreements on how to move forward

  • Working through fears of estrangement re-occurring

  • Finding happiness and acceptance regardless of outcomes

When you're ready to take the first step, schedule a 15-minute complimentary virtual meeting with me. In this call, we will discuss your needs, my coaching approach, and discover if we're a fit. All our online estrangement coaching sessions are via Zoom. All of our conversations are confidential. You may also choose to join one of my This Isn't What I ExpectedⓇ support groups.

Call for Change

In a complementary 15-minute discovery call, we’ll discuss your greatest challenges and see how coaching can support you.