From Breakdown to Breakthrough: A Therapist on Divorce, Healing, and Co-Parenting

What if the person guiding couples through crisis is quietly navigating her own? We sit down with Dr. Jamie Brodarick, a marriage and family therapist who recently went through divorce, to unpack what actually helps relationships heal, when it’s time to let go, and how to protect kids from collateral damage. Her dual vantage point—clinician and parent—turns theory into grounded, compassionate strategy.

We dig into the real predictors of marital repair: both partners doing individual therapy, owning their part in the negative cycle, and coming together with a trained couples therapist to learn regulation and empathy. We talk about why many couples wait too long for help, how major life transitions expose old cracks, and why uneven growth can stall progress when one partner “outgrows” the other emotionally. Jamie makes a strong case for preventive counseling before engagement, treating therapy like proactive health care rather than a last-ditch fire drill.

The conversation then moves into decision-making around divorce. Jamie shares the internal calculus of trying everything, noticing fear as the main reason to stay, and reframing loss by naming the gains: peace, time, self-acceptance, and the chance to build a healthier future. For parents, we explore the research on child outcomes, the power of two calm homes over one tense house, and practical tools like the Children’s Bill of Rights in Divorce. You’ll learn age-appropriate ways to support kids, stop triangulation, align routines, and coach children to self-advocate, reserving parental intervention for true safety issues.

We close with a three-phase roadmap—before, during, and after divorce—covering legal and financial prep, collaborative divorce teams, emotional acceptance, and post-divorce healing that prevents repeating old patterns. Jamie’s hopeful throughline is simple: accountability plus reflection changes everything. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review with your biggest question so we can tackle it next.

Guest: Dr. Jamie Brodarick

Topic:  Divorce, Healing, And Co-Parenting

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Your Host: Julia Manfre of Self-Care Solutions, LLC | Follow Self-Care Solutions on Facebook

Educating Women on the Tools, Skills, and Secrets of Self-Care...

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes today!!

Your Host: Julia Manfre of Self-Care Solutions, LLC | Follow Self-Care Solutions on Facebook

Educating Women on the Tools, Skills, and Secrets of Self-Care...