Helping to make breaking up easier
COUNSELLOR Amanda Bluck wants to get the message out that separating couples need not cause trauma for the people around them.
Ms Bluck, who runs the UnitingCare Community's Post Separation Co-operative Parenting Program in Bundaberg, said many people might not be aware of the service.
"What we do is work with separated parents, or parents contemplating separation," she said.
"I call it the separated parents program."
Ms Bluck said separation did not just affect the couple involved and their children, but could also affect their new partners and even their own parents.
"Parental separation doesn't have to hurt the children - parental conflict does," she said.
She said the program helped parents focus on the needs of the children, instead of on the conflict.
Ms Bluck said statistics showed 42% of first marriages and 50% of second marriages ended in divorce or separation.
She said figures showed 60% of de facto relationships with children lasted less than eight years.
To inquire about the program phone 4191 3100 or 4122 9000.
