1706 Chester Ave., Ste. 360C, Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 258-3769
What is Co-parenting?
Co-parenting involves both parents actively participating in their child’s upbringing and making decisions together, despite not being in a romantic relationship. Effective co-parenting is essential for the child’s emotional stability and development. The elements of successful co-parenting include:
- Communication
- Open and Honest: Parents should communicate openly and honestly about their child’s needs, schedules, and any concerns.
- Regular Updates: Keeping each other informed about important events, health issues, and academic progress.
- Respect
- Mutual Respect: Showing respect for each other’s parenting styles and decisions.
- Avoiding Negative Talk: Refraining from speaking negatively about the other parent in front of the child.
- Consistency:
- Unified Rules: Maintaining consistent rules and discipline across both households.
- Routine: Establishing and adhering to a predictable routine for the child’s activities, including school, extracurriculars, and visitation schedules.
- Flexibility:
- Adaptability: Being willing to adjust schedules and plans to accommodate each other’s needs and unforeseen circumstances.
- Problem-Solving: Working together to find solutions when conflicts arise, focusing on the child’s best interests.
- Boundaries:
- Clear Boundaries: Setting clear boundaries to separate personal issues from parenting responsibilities.
- Role Clarity: Understanding and respecting each other’s roles and responsibilities in the child’s life.
- Support:
- Emotional Support: Providing emotional support to the child and each other during transitions and challenges.
- Cooperation: Cooperating in decisions related to education, healthcare, religion, and other significant aspects of the child’s life.
- Conflict Resolution:
- Constructive Conflict Management:
- Addressing disagreements constructively and without hostility.
- Seeking Mediation: When necessary, seek the help of a counselor, mediator, or other professional to resolve conflicts.
- Focus on the Child:
- Child-Centered Approach: Keeping the child’s best interests at the forefront of all decisions and interactions.
- Positive Parenting: Encouraging a positive and supportive environment for the child’s growth and development.
By prioritizing these elements, co-parents can create a stable, supportive, and nurturing environment for their child, even in the context of separation or divorce.
What we provide.
We provide voices of reason. During emotionally charged custody and support battles, parents often lose sight of what is best for their children and begin to act irrationally. Often, parents will ask the courts to issue unreasonable orders contrary to the child’s best interests. Our legal, religious, and mental health professionals remain neutral and work with both parents to craft a co-parenting plan and help resolve disputes between the parents without the need for expensive attorneys and extended litigation.
Who we are.
We are Pastors, LMFTs, LDAs, and Notaries.
Pastors
Our Christian pastors are trained in Biblical principles and have more than fifty years total combined counseling and ministry experience. Their specific beliefs can be found here, but the pastors are not here to change your beliefs. They are here to help you through this difficult time as you use Godly principles to do what is best for your children.
LMFT
An LMFT, or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, is a mental health professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples, and family systems. Here are the key aspects of an LMFT:
- Education and Training:
- Graduate Degree: Typically, LMFTs hold a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, psychology, counseling, or a related field.
- Clinical Training: They undergo extensive clinical training, including supervised experience, to develop practical skills in therapy.
- Licensing:
- State Requirements: Our LMFTs are licensed in California, have completed the specified number of supervised clinical hours, and passed a comprehensive exam.
- Continuing Education: Our LMFTs complete continuing education to stay updated with the latest therapeutic practices and research.
- Therapeutic Techniques:
- Variety of Modalities: Our LMFTs employ various therapeutic modalities, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and family systems therapy. However, our LMFTs do not establish a confidential relationship with either parent; rather, we maintain neutrality to assist both parents developr a fair and sustainable co-parenting plan.
- Intervention Strategies: Our LMFTs develop and implement intervention strategies to help parents improve communication, resolve conflicts, and build healthier relationships.
By focusing on the interconnectedness of relationships and individual well-being, LMFTs play a crucial role in promoting mental and emotional health within families.
LDA
A Licensed Document Assistant (LDA) is a non-attorney professional authorized to assist individuals in preparing legal documents. LDAs provide a valuable service to people who need help with legal paperwork but do not require or cannot afford the full services of an attorney. Key information about LDAs includes:
- Document Preparation:
- Document Drafting: Our LDAs prepare a co-parenting plan as crafted by the parents with the assistance of the LMFTs.
- Legal Forms: Our LDAs help the parents fill out legal forms accurately and completely. Specifically, our LDAs prepare a request for order to ask the court to adopt the co-parenting plan.
- Guidance and Information:
- Procedural Advice: Our LDAs provide information about legal procedures and requirements without giving legal advice.
- Process Navigation: Our LDAs help the parents understand the steps involved in their legal process, such as filing court documents and attending hearings.
- Non-Legal Advice:
- Legal Boundaries: LDAs cannot offer legal advice, represent clients in court, or provide any services that constitute the practice of law.
- Information Provision: LDAs can only provide general information and procedural guidance.
- Qualifications and Licensing:
- Relevant Education: Many LDAs have completed coursework in paralegal studies or legal document preparation. Our staff far exceeds the minimum licensing requirements. We have multiple associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, and a few of our staff members hold Juris Doctor degrees. Additionally, our staff has written more than a dozen law books.
- Experience: Our senior LDA has more than two decades of experience in legal document preparation.
- Registration: We are registered in Kern County and have posted the appropriate bonds in Kern County.
- Background Checks: Our LDAs have also passed the state’s criminal background check
- Benefits of Using an LDA:
- Cost-Effective: LDAs provide an affordable alternative to hiring an attorney for document preparation.
- Efficiency: LDAs help ensure that documents are completed accurately and submitted on time.
- Accessibility: LDAs make legal document preparation accessible to individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford legal services.
- Limitations:
- No Legal Advice: LDAs cannot offer legal advice or represent clients in court.
- Limited Scope: LDA services are restricted to document preparation and procedural guidance.
In summary, a Licensed Document Assistant plays a crucial role in helping individuals navigate the legal system by preparing necessary legal documents and providing procedural information, thereby making legal processes more accessible and affordable.
Notary
A Notary Public is an official appointed by the government to serve as an impartial witness in signing important documents and administering oaths. The primary role of a notary is to verify the identity of individuals signing documents, ensure they are signing voluntarily, and that they understand the content of the document. This process helps prevent fraud and ensures the authenticity of the documents.
Notaries are responsible for witnessing the signing of various legal documents, such as co-parenting plans, deeds, contracts, and powers of attorney. They also administer oaths and affirmations for affidavits and other legal proceedings.
Our Notaries meet California’s requirements, which include completing a notary education course, passing an exam, undergoing a background check, and purchasing a surety bond. Notaries keep a journal of their notarial acts to maintain a record of the transactions they oversee.
Notaries play a crucial role in the legal and financial systems by ensuring the proper execution of documents, thereby providing trust and integrity in important transactions and legal processes.
Cost
The total cost to prepare a comprehensive co-parenting plan is $2,800, which includes the following:
- Both parents start with an hour-long joint consultation with their choice of an LMFT or a pastor.
- Based on this consultation, LDAs then prepare a co-parenting plan as suggested by the LMFT or pastor.
- Both parents are given a copy of the proposed co-parenting plan.
- If both parents agree, the plan is notarized, and a request for a court order is prepared.
- If either parent disagrees with the co-parenting plan, the process repeats, beginning with an hour-long joint consultation with a different LMFT or pastor.
If the parents cannot agree on a complete co-parenting plan after two sessions with the counselors, a partial plan will be prepared, along with a request that the court resolve any remaining disputes.
What if I want private counseling?
The LMFTs who assist with your co-parenting plan cannot provide private counseling to you. However, we have several LMFTs, some of whom are accepting private clients and insurance referrals. All pastors accept private counseling appointments.