Divorce is never easy, especially for families dealing with high levels of conflict. But bringing in a mental health professional can change everything, helping parents and children manage the emotional toll and find healthier ways to move forward. In this episode of Children First Family Law, Krista welcomes Lauren Blake, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Blake Family Consulting in Michigan. With a background that spans legal and clinical settings, Lauren brings a unique perspective to helping families in litigation-heavy divorces through trauma-informed care and practical, therapeutic support.
Their conversation delves into Lauren’s career path, from working as a family law paralegal to becoming a mental health professional, and she offers her perspective on the emotional complexities that are often overlooked in legal proceedings. Lauren ruminates on the misuse of terms like “parental alienation,” relating her own childhood experience, and stresses the importance of co-parenting therapy and individual counseling during and after divorce. She explains how anticipatory anxiety can affect children who are expected to spend time with a disfavored parent, and when it might be appropriate to consider “no contact” arrangements. From therapy to case management and consultation, Lauren assumes multiple roles to support families during challenging transitions, always with the goal of creating safer and more stable environments for children and their parents.
Krista and Lauren share more about:
- Divorce often triggers anxiety and grief in even the most stable adults and kids. Lauren notes how emotional distress and loss are almost always present in high-conflict separations.
- Lauren acknowledges alienation can exist on both sides and is often complicated by fear, intention vs. impact, and parents’ unresolved trauma.
- Parenting time supervision and structured therapy weren’t available when Lauren was a child navigating her parents’ divorce. She now works to provide those tools to families so kids can have healthy connections, even after disruptions.
- Lauren stresses that lawyers who are overly focused on winning or reinforcing only one parent’s narrative often complicate the reunification and healing process.
- She strongly encourages both individual therapy and co-parenting therapy.
- Children often experience intense anxiety before reconnecting with a disfavored parent. Lauren carefully structures these moments, starting with virtual sessions and allowing the child to help choose the next steps, thereby reducing stress.
- It’s crucial to avoid forcing a bond when framing therapy for children. Lauren employs a gradual, individualized approach that enables children to re-establish trust and connection without re-traumatization.
Divorce is, without a doubt, often traumatizing for everyone involved. Using a professional like Lauren Blake can make this process smoother.
If you want to learn more about The Children First Family Law Podcast, check out www.childrenfirstfamilylaw.com/healing-the-hurt-supporting-kids-co-parents-through-divorce-with-mental-health-professional-lauren-blake