A Strengths-Based Approach to Parenting Through Divorce with Gloria DeGaetano

How do you approach challenging situations? The coaching model popular in the business world takes a strengths-based approach, leveraging what employees are good at to tackle complex problems. What if we used a similar strategy as parents, leading with our strengths in difficult circumstances? What if we approached the divorce process the same way, tapping into our best attributes first as we work toward resolution?

Gloria DeGaetano is the founder and CEO of the Parent Coaching Institute and Parent Coach International. An acclaimed educator, author and speaker, she originated parent coaching as a discipline 18 years ago. Today, the PCI Coaching Model and its affiliated certification program are used in 20 countries around the world. Gloria’s innovative work in parent coaching has appeared in Newsweek, Parents Magazine and The New York Times, among many other publications, and she has appeared on The Today Show and NPR’s Fresh Air.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Gloria joins Katherine to explain how she adapted business coaching principles to support parents, using a strengths-based approach that is personalized to the family’s individual circumstances. She discusses how her personal experience with divorce informs her work and describes how the appreciative inquiry framework facilitates teamwork between divorced couples. Listen in for Gloria’s insight around identifying your positive core and designing strategy based on your strengths!

Topics Covered

The concept of parent coaching as a strengths-based approach
How Gloria adapted business coaching principles to support parents
How Gloria’s personal experience with divorce influences her work
How parent coaching is personalized to the unique needs of the family
How an introduction to systems thinking inspired Gloria’s work
How the parenting styles inventory serves divorced couples
The framework of appreciative inquiry Gloria uses in parent coaching
Why it’s important to design strategy based on your strengths
How starting with what you’re good at generates an upward spiral
The benefit of reframing right and wrong as a difference in style
Gloria’s definition of positive core as a person’s authentic self
How individuals can use parent coaching with or without their ex
How Gloria processed her own feelings of anger through therapy
Gloria’s insight around taking care of yourself first

Connect with Gloria DeGaetano

The Parent Coaching Institute: www.thepci.org
Parent Coach International: parentcoachinternational.com

Resources

The Creative Imperative by Charles M. Johnston: amazon.com/Creative-Imperative-Charles-M-Johnston/dp/0974715409
Parenting Well in a Media Age by Gloria DeGaetano: amazon.com/Parenting-Well-Media-Age-Keeping/dp/1932181121
Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry: champlain.edu/appreciativeinquiry

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/
Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/
Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1
The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246
Email: [email protected]
Call (914) 738-7765