Steady support through the changes that change a family.

What family transitions look like emotionally.

From the outside, a family transition has a timeline: the separation happens, the papers are signed, the new household is established. But emotionally, the process is rarely that neat. Grief, anger, relief, guilt, and uncertainty often show up simultaneously — and they show up differently for each family member.

Children may not have the language for what they're feeling, so it comes out in behavior: regression, withdrawal, acting out, school problems. Parents are managing their own emotional process while trying to hold everything together for their kids. And extended family, new partners, and shifting routines add layers of complexity that no one quite anticipated.

Therapy provides a space where each family member's experience is taken seriously, where the emotions are named and normalized, and where practical strategies replace the guesswork. Dr. Hickson Barez's work with families in transition draws on her deep understanding of child development, attachment, and the family court system.

Navigating your own transition while parenting through it.

Parents going through a divorce face a unique challenge: they are managing their own grief, anger, and uncertainty while simultaneously trying to be emotionally present and stable for their children. The pressure to “keep it together” can lead to burnout, decision fatigue, and a sense of isolation.

Individual therapy gives parents a confidential space to process their own experience, separate from their role as a parent, while also developing strategies for how to talk to their children about the divorce, how to manage co-parenting communication, and how to make the decisions that will shape their family's next chapter. Dr. Hickson Barez also offers parent consultation as a focused service for parents who want guidance without entering individual therapy.

Building a co-parenting relationship that works for your children.

Effective co-parenting requires separating the marital relationship from the parenting relationship, a task that is simple in concept and extraordinarily difficult in practice, especially when emotions are still raw. Therapy can help both parents develop communication strategies that reduce conflict, establish consistent boundaries across households, and keep the children's needs at the center of every decision.

When co-parenting challenges become entrenched or escalate into the court system, Dr. Hickson Barez's forensic background becomes especially relevant. She understands how family court processes intersect with therapeutic goals and can help families navigate both systems effectively. For cases involving significant parent-child relationship disruption, she also offers reunification therapy as a specialized service.