The Hardest Conversation
You’ve decided to separate or divorce, and you need to tell the kids.
But what do you say?!
Your brain keeps freezing when you imagine sitting with them and having this conversation. The thought is almost too painful to bear.
It’s like your ability to think clearly just disappears. What is the right thing to say? What if you start to cry when you’re talking?
But you KNOW this conversation is critical, and getting it right makes a HUGE difference to the kids. Whether you want the divorce or not, you do know that you’ll do WHATEVER you can, to make it better for THEM.
Parenting Well Through Divorce
Help is here for one of the hardest conversations you’ll ever have.
Created by an experienced therapist, this course gives you videos, worksheets, and handouts so that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. From when and where to tell them, to exactly what to say–with lots of examples!–this course makes a difficult process
easier for you, and better for your kids.
I’m here to help.
Hi, I’m Katie Malinski, LCSW-S.
I love helping families. I’ve worked as a therapist with children, families, and adults, and now I exclusively work with parents.
Parenting is the hardest job out there!
And parenting well through divorce is even harder. Divorce is rough for everybody, but there are MANY important things parents can do to make the process less hard on their kids. I developed this course after 20 years of close work with families, and it’s here to help you continue to parent well and prioritize your kids–throughout the separation/divorce process and beyond.
Taking this course means:
The course has 14 videos, 2 worksheets, and 2 downloadable handouts.
It’s divided into 4 main sections:
Preparing to tell the kids | When to tell the kids | Where to tell the kids | What to say
Preparing to tell the kids helps you:
- Feel ready for the conversation, and the emotions
- Be on the same page as your spouse
- Minimize conflict about this conversation with your spouse
- Predict your child’s questions
- Be prepared with answers to questions
When to tell the kids helps you:
- Understand how timing helps or hurts your kids
- Know what to consider when choosing when to tell the kids
- Understand how to set a pace that’s right for your kids for the whole separation/divorce process
- Know when you should telling them right away, versus when waiting is better
- Help avoiding the typical mistakes parents make around timing
Where to tell the kids helps you:
- Avoid picking places that make the conversation more painful
- Understand what your child needs in their environment for this conversation
- Prevent “ruining” favorite family venues
- Be able to provide your child with a refuge if needed
- Make a plan for how to handle the rest of the day
What to say helps you:
- No ‘reinventing the wheel’–TONS of sample language included
- Language for different types of situations, family plans, and schedules
- Comes with a “Script Builder” worksheet that makes it easy and straightforward to figure out exactly what to say
- Understand what to say and even what NOT to say
- Understand how to handle questions you don’t know how to answer

Bonuses:
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Three Bonus Videos:
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Siblings—Should you tell them together or separately?
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The #1 Thing parents should talk about but don’t
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The 5 Most Common Custody Agreements Explained
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Insider tips on how to find and choose a therapist for yourself or your child
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All slides downloadable as a pdf if you like to take notes
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Review slides after each video, and highlight notes under each video, make it easier for various learning styles
“OMG, this is AMAZING. I can’t wait to share with families, you’ve hit all the important parts and kept the focus on the children throughout. It’s very clear and goes step by step in easy, manageable parts.”
VERY helpful. All questions answered; zero time wasted.
What an amazing resource! Easy to follow and very informative.
An essential resource for parents going through the divorce process.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the script builder worksheet — brilliant!
Practical advice, clearly stated.
Katie offers a steady hand to parents in this step-by-step guide to parenting through a divorce.
“After taking Katie’s course on how to talk to children about separation or divorce, I feel better equipped as a parent on the when, how and what to tell children during this difficult time.
I would highly recommend this course for parents in any stage of contemplation of divorce.
Katie is very knowledgable; excellent attention to detail.