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Word from Doc Nyman
I
have been working with children and families since I received
my degree in clinical psychology at the University of Washington
in 1965.
One
of the lessons I have learned is that any problem is more
manageable if you have a plan to deal with it. That doesn’t
mean that I think I can solve every problem families present
but I have learned that with a plan I can keep problems from
getting out of control.
No
one can predict what problems will come up between separated
parents or what problems their children will generate. What
we can do is provide a plan for problem solving if and when
it is needed.
Plans
are not only useful for dealing with problems; children develop
more comfortably and more successfully when they know what
is happening and what to expect.
Vita
Licensed Psychologist in WA State since 1967.
Licensed Chemical Dependancy
Professional in WA state since 1986.
1936
Born in Everett WA
1949
Graduated Hamilton grade school, Spokane WA
1953
Graduated Stadium High School, Tacoma WA
1957
Honorable Discharge U.S.C.G., Cape May, NJ
1961
BA Whitman College, Walla Walla WA
1965
Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle WA
1966
Post-doc in Child Clinical, Univ. of Colo. Med. School, Denver
CO
1969
Asst. Prof, University of Washington, Seattle WA
1971
Director of Psychology, Children's Orthopedic Med. Center,
Seattle WA
1973
Director of Children's Mental Health, Snohomish MHS, Everett
WA
1983
Independant Practice, Everett WA
1987
Committee to Draft the Parenting Act, Seattle WA
1995
Seattle Indian Health Board, Seattle WA
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Living
With Parenting Plans: A Guide for
Divorcing Mothers and Fathers
Available
Now - A New Book by Dr. Barry A. Nyman |
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This
consumer friendly guide to constructing and using
parenting plans explains the three elements (Decision
Making, Residential Schedule and Dispute Resolution)
and makes practical suggestions for anticipating and
solving problems between separated mothers and fathers.
Contents:
1)
The Problem: When parents separate everyone is hurt—mothers,
fathers and children. Before the Parenting Act in Washington
State custody was not only often contentious it was
sometimes Winner-Take-All with the non-winner effectively
losing contact with their child. |
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112 pages including blank forms and
illustrations. |
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Even
though the parents may feel better-off with no contact
from their former spouse this is rarely in the child’s
best interest. The problem faced by the drafting committee
of concerned attorneys and mental health professionals
was to create a law which supported the continuing involvement
of both parents in the child’s life after separation.
2)
The Parenting Act in Washington Sate (1987) addressed
the concerns of mothers, fathers and children by parsing
“custody” into functional elements. How
decisions get made for children is a critical part of
parenting and this act specifies that education, health
care and religious upbringing are decisions that must
be allocated to mother’s, father’s or joint
authority. Other areas of decision making may be added
to these three and similarly allocated.
3)
There is provision in the act for restricting or completely
restraining either parent from contact with the child
when such contact would not be in the child’s
best interest.
4)
The Residential Schedule tells where the child will
be on every day by taking into account not only the
basic alternation of residence, but also vacations,
holidays and other special occasions.
5)
The Parenting Plan sets forth these elements: Decision
Making Authority, Residential Schedule and Dispute Resolution.
Dispute Resolution is a pre-determined method for resolving
conflict if there should be disagreement about how the
plan is supposed to work.
6)
There is provision for adding other elements to the
plan should individual circumstances or the laws in
local jurisdictions require additional specifications.
7)
Finally, the guide is illustrated with examples of problems
that may arise in actual living with parenting plans
and suggestions for using the plan to lessen the impact
of these problems on children.
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