Beyond Being Heard: Children’s Voices and the PARENT Framework

How do we make room for children’s voices in divorce without asking them to choose sides or carry responsibility for adult decisions?

In this episode, Tracy Callahan explores the difference between asking children what they think and helping them feel heard. Drawing on research discussed by Dr. Michael Saini, she considers how parents can invite their children’s perspectives, understand the concerns beneath their words, and explain how those concerns informed a decision.

For divorce coaches and other dispute resolution professionals, this work often begins with one parent. Tracy walks through DCA®’s PARENT framework to show how coaching can help a parent recognize conflict patterns, question assumptions, and bring a clearer understanding of their child’s needs into parenting conversations and mediation.

In this episode:

• Why children can have meaningful input while adults remain responsible for decisions.
• How everyday conversations can make room for a child’s experience.
• What changes when listening becomes gathering evidence against the other parent.
• How to explore the concern beneath “I don’t want to go.”
• When professional support or a formal process may be appropriate.
• How one parent’s participation in coaching can create opportunities for problem solving.

A question to take into your practice:
How can you help a parent listen to understand their child’s experience without needing the answer to support their position?

Continue learning

Coaching Parents Through Conflict is a six-week live course using the PARENT framework, with case examples and practice exercises focused on reducing escalation, strengthening parenting plans, and keeping children at the center.

Mondays, November 9–December 14, 2026
1:00–2:30 p.m. Eastern

Resources referenced

• Michael A. Saini, “Children’s Voices in Divorce: Beyond the Right to Be Heard.”
• Rejaän, Z., Mol, C. R., van Dijk, R., & van der Valk, I. E. (2026). A systematic review of children’s views and experiences regarding their participation in divorce-related decision-making at home, in court, and during mediation. Family Transitions, 67(6), 495–541. Read the study.

Learn more about our training and professional development at Divorce Coaches Academy®.