Treatment Outcomes for Divorce couple w/ children
Divorce is common in most countries and can pose significant problems more so to couples with children. Although it affects the whole family, its major effects are felt by young children since they are developing and are likely to be depressed by the action. Divorce in Puerto Rico requires initiation of a lawsuit in a civil court. The country allows spouses to divorce for various reasons and one of them is adultery. The case presented of Juan and Maria guarantees divorce in Puerto Rico because Juan who is the husband has been unfaithful to Maria. Although the decision seems suitable for Maria, it is never easy to make such a decision especially due to effects it has for developing children.
Family Therapy
For the whole family, the best therapy will be divorce education by a counselor where both the spouse and the children will be explained to the negative impacts of divorce. With such an education, Maria and Juan will make a relevant decision before getting into divorce which will be mutually accepted. Besides, children will also understand the reasons for the divorce and get an assurance that that will not affect them. The best strategy that can be used by the two is cooperative co-parenting relationship since they have young children who can be affected by divorce. This allows meaningful routine relationships with each parent thus minimize the chances of children feeling deprived of one parent. This therapy ensures minimal conflicts between the spouses and the children too.
Individual Therapy
Sarah, the last born to the family, is greatly affected by the divorce news which made him break down into tears. This means that the news made her emotional which can result in the development of emotional and behavioral problems. The best treatment strategy for her case includes cognitive behavioral therapy treatment which involves a single therapist engaging with the patient. The engagement sessions last for one hour, and it is repeated until changes are experienced.
Devin, the only son of the family, reveals shock after the divorce news is revealed. He expressed this by shutting down and not speaking to anyone probably because he got depression. The diagnosis for his case is depression because it is characterized by a change of mood, loss of interest and a feeling of sadness which made him shut down during the meeting. The treatment strategy that can be employed in his case is a cognitive behavioral therapy which allows one to change the way they behave or think. This therapy requires guidance by a counselor for it to be effective especially when employed to children.
Tamara is the firstborn of the family, and the divorce news made her less amused which revealed she knew something was happening between her parents. She is likely to fall into depression due to her reaction after the divorce news. The effective treatment of her case is psychotherapy where a psychotherapist should be involved to talk to her so that she can change her perception. The treatment should take several days until Tamara accept the fate.
For the case of Maria and Juan, the effective treatment will be mediation by a third party more so a counselor who will help them develop constructive decision that will assist them to meet a mutually acceptable solution. A counselor will assist them to agree on a mutual thing which will not affect their children. This can result in parallel parenting as long as the children will meet both parents whenever they want.
Counseling will lead to a positive outcome if all the participants are willing to sit with the counselor and discuss the issue. The suggested treatments are also expected to be effective in minimizing conflicts between the spouses as well as managing the post-divorce stress likely to affect the children.
Challenges expected from the process include lack of commitment by the children or spouses to adhere to treatment. Without commitment, the treatment suggested will be effective. The man should also admit meeting the counselor to devise a solution to the problem.