Co-Parenting Therapy · Free 30-Minute Phone Consultation
Co-parent without the daily fight.
Practical tools, neutral support, kids out of the middle.
For separated, divorced, or never-married parents. Reduce conflict, align on decisions across two homes, and build a calmer system your kids can rely on. Most co-parents notice meaningful shifts in 4 to 6 sessions.
Post-divorce · Never-married · Blended families · High-conflict-friendly
"Dionne demonstrated a remarkable balance of fairness, directness, and empathy. Her compassionate listening ensured we felt heard and never judged. Her thoughtful questions encouraged meaningful self-reflection. We gained clarity and practical tools that strengthened how we parent together."
Co-Parenting Therapy Clients, NJ · Post-Divorce CommunicationRequest your free consult
Free consultations available Mon–Fri, 1–3 PM ET. We'll call within 24 hours — usually much sooner.
Prefer to call?
(732) 201-6325 Mon – Fri · 9 am – 7 pm ET
How it works
Co-parenting therapy in 4 focused steps.
Structured, neutral, and built around your family — even when the two of you can't be in the same room. In-person in Rutherford, NJ or telehealth across NJ, NY, and CT.
Free 30-min call
You (and your co-parent, if both ready) share what's happening, what's stuck, and what better looks like. We confirm fit and decide on a joint or parallel format.
Individual intakes
Each parent meets briefly one-on-one to share history, concerns, and goals — confidential where it needs to be, transparent where it helps the work.
Tailored plan
Build a communication system, decision rules, and de-escalation tools that fit your real life — joint sessions, parallel sessions, or a mix as needed.
Practice & sustain
Use the tools between handoffs, holidays, and hard moments. Refine what works, drop what doesn't, and build a system that lasts past therapy.
Private • HIPAA-compliant • No travel required
The team
Neutral, experienced co-parenting therapists.
Every clinician is fully licensed in New Jersey and trained in working with separated, divorced, and never-married parents — including high-conflict cases. We'll match you with the right fit on your free call.
Founder & Clinical Director
Dr. Dionne Frank, LCSW
CBT · DBT-informed · Doctoral-level training
LCSW and doctoral-level therapist helping parents, couples, and families strengthen their relationships — especially when things feel stuck.
In-person (Rutherford, NJ) & Telehealth · NJ, NY, CT
Therapist
Caitlyn Snyder, LSW
Trauma-informed · CBT · DBT · DVRT Certified
Trauma-informed therapist from Rutgers helping teens through older adults move from surviving to thriving — especially through anxiety, depression, grief, and trauma.
In-person (Rutherford, NJ) & Telehealth · NJ, NY, CT
Therapist · 7 Years Experience
Sheanny Vazquez, LSW
CBT · DBT · ACT · Strengths-Based · Bilingual EN/ES
LSW with 7 years helping children, adults, and families build practical tools for anxiety, behavioral challenges, and life transitions.
Telehealth primary · NJ, NY, CT & Limited in-person (Rutherford, NJ)
What changes between two homes
Co-parenting outcomes.
Practical, skills-based care that helps separated parents lower conflict, communicate clearly, and protect kids from the middle.
Calmer, predictable communication
BIFF-style messages, clear channels, and rules that keep texts about logistics — not feelings.
Aligned decisions across two homes
Agreed-on framework for school, medical, screen time, and bigger calls — without the daily renegotiation.
Smoother handoffs & transitions
Drop-offs, holidays, and schedule changes that don't end in a blow-up — even when emotions run high.
Kids feel less in the middle
Loyalty pressure drops, anxious behaviors ease, and kids stop being messengers between parents.
Tools that hold under stress
De-escalation scripts and boundaries that work in a courtroom hallway, not just a quiet office.
A system that lasts past therapy
By the end you'll have a written plan and routines — not just feelings — that keep working as kids grow.
Common reasons co-parents come to us
What we help co-parents with.
Communication breakdown, parenting-style clashes, blended-family integration, high-conflict transitions, parental alienation concerns, holiday and schedule disputes, new-partner dynamics — separated parents from every kind of family welcome.
Request a free consultAnxiety
Panic, social anxiety, generalized worry, health anxiety
Depression
Low mood, motivation, seasonal, postpartum, burnout
Couples Therapy
Communication, trust, pre-marital, conflict, major decisions
Family & Co-Parenting
Blended families, conflict, parenting alignment, co-parenting
Life Transitions
Career stress, identity, grief, self-esteem, major decisions
Teens & Young Adults
School stress, anxiety, identity, social challenges, first-time therapy
Parenting Support
ADHD strategies, routines, connection — individual & group sessions
Co-parents who did the work.
Neutral support, practical tools, steady change — here's what working together has looked like.
Dionne is an absolutely amazing therapist — and an even better human being. She helped me immensely through multiple losses. Her calm, caring presence and direct, honest guidance made all the difference. She truly cares.
Dionne has demonstrated a remarkable balance of fairness, directness, and empathy. Her compassionate listening ensured we felt heard and never judged. Her thoughtful questions encouraged meaningful self-reflection. We gained clarity and practical tools that strengthened our marriage.
Living Optimally has been exceptional. Dionne creates a safe, comfortable space, offers specific and practical feedback, and holds you kindly accountable. Sessions are well-prepared and engaging, scheduling is flexible, and the tools we practice have led to real, positive change.
All testimonials are anonymized to protect client privacy.
Coverage & fees
Investment in your wellbeing.
We accept most major insurance plans in New Jersey. Not sure about your coverage? We'll verify it on your free consultation call — no hold music, no runaround.
Session details
HSA and FSA cards accepted. Superbills provided every session for out-of-network reimbursement filing.
Frequently asked questions
Questions co-parents ask first.
Honest answers about how co-parenting therapy actually works — joint vs. parallel, court letters, high-conflict cases, and insurance.
Not always. Many co-parenting plans use parallel sessions — each parent meets the same therapist separately, building one shared playbook without ever being in the same room. Joint sessions are great when conflict is moderate; parallel works when it isn't safe or productive to share space. We'll decide which fits on your free call.
You can still make real progress alone. We'll work on your communication, boundary-setting, and de-escalation — which often shifts the dynamic enough that your co-parent eventually comes in, or that the back-and-forth simply gets less reactive on your side. About a third of our co-parenting clients start solo.
Mediation negotiates a legal agreement; a custody evaluation produces a recommendation to the court. Co-parenting therapy is different from both — it's a confidential clinical service focused on your communication, conflict patterns, and the kids' wellbeing. We don't make custody recommendations or testify, which is what makes the room safe enough for real change.
Yes. We use parallel-parenting and structured-communication models specifically built for high-conflict co-parents. If there's a history of domestic violence or active safety concerns, joint sessions are off the table from day one — but that doesn't mean we can't help. Tell us what you're navigating on the free call and we'll be honest about fit.
No — and that's intentional. Therapy and forensic work serve different purposes; combining them undermines both. We can confirm attendance dates if needed, but we don't write recommendation letters, opinions, or testify. If you need a court-facing professional, we'll point you to qualified custody evaluators or parenting coordinators.
Yes — secure, HIPAA-compliant video across NJ, NY, and CT. Especially useful for co-parents who live in different homes or different states post-divorce. Each parent joins from their own space, no shared logistics required.
Sometimes — coverage depends on your plan and how the work is coded. We're in-network with Aetna, Horizon BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and TRICARE in NJ. Out-of-pocket, family/co-parenting sessions are $275 / 50–60 min and we provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. We'll verify your benefits on the free call.
For your kids — and your sanity
Ready to lower the temperature between two homes?
Request your free 30-minute co-parenting consultation. Joint or parallel format, telehealth across NJ, NY, and CT, or in-person in Rutherford, NJ. We'll reach out within 24 hours — usually the same day.
(732) 201-6325 · Mon – Fri, 9 am – 7 pmOr email us: info@livingoptimallytherapy.com
Request your free consult
Free consultations available Mon–Fri, 1–3 PM ET. We'll call within 24 hours — usually much sooner.
Or call us directly
(732) 201-6325 Mon – Fri · 9 am – 7 pm ET