Most parents strive to protect their children from the dislocations associated with a breakup, but to their dismay find the task a very difficult and challenging achievement. Even the best-written parenting plan cannot cover every contingency that divorced parents face rearing their children. And without the active involvement of both parents in the lives of their children, parenting becomes much more difficult. Many times, the noncustodial parent slowly drifts out the lives of his or her children, particularly when he or her remarries and starts a second family with his or her new spouse.

From start to finish, "[d]ivore is a psychologically disorganizing experience for families. Parents themselves often feel bereft, powerless and angry. The adults often need validation and support to reorganize their lives to enable them to parent their children," writes Dr. Marsha L. Shelov and Dr. Maria Alba-Fisch of the Taconic Counseling Group.