New Ways for Families® Decision Skills Instructor Manual (PDF downloadable version)

WHO IT IS FOR: The New Ways for Families® Online Coaching Manual is to be used by coaches who have been trained and licensed by the High Conflict Institute in this method.

New Ways for Families® is a relatively new method of teaching parents simple skills to manage conflicts, negotiate decisions, promote respectful communication, encourage themselves in times of stress and co-parent more effectively. This method has been designed to be simple and repetitive, so that almost all parents can learn these skills and apply them in their lives when dealing with each other, with their children and with anyone.

This approach started as a counseling method, which has been tried in several family court systems in the United States and Canada. It was later adapted to Collaborative Divorce coaching, pre-mediation coaching, a decision-skills class and eventually into an online class. This online class has significantly expanded the number of parents who are learning these skills from hundreds to thousands. However, many parents want and need a more personal approach in combination with the online course. Coaching with the online course may be the best combination.

This method takes a lot of patience for the coach and a lot of encouragement for the parents. However, it is based on principles that have worked in teaching skills to a wide range of people, including those with serious behavior problems.

It is designed for all parents, but especially to include those who are high-conflict or are dealing with a high-conflict co-parent, when other methods often don’t work. This very basic approach seems to reach all parents.