As of January 1, 2001, the State of Tennessee has mandated that all divorcing parents with minor children attend a four-hour Parent Education Seminar prior to their final hearing (HB 1512 and SF 1885). The seminar is to teach the importance of protecting and enhancing the child’semotional development during this difficult time. The seminar, called Parents, Children and Divorce (PCD), does not tell parents how to raise their children, rather this class aims to accomplish four simple, but highly important goals.

They are:

1. How to strengthen the family unit by focusing on what the children are going through andways to help children cope with the divorce and feelings of loss.
2. How to communicate more effectively with your children and your former spouse.
3. How to identify the warning signs of depression and anger with your children.
4. How to handle the trauma children face during and after the family unit changes due todivorce or separation.

How to Register

Students can register for all classes in person, by phone, fax, e-mail or mail.  The class is conducted through the Community Outreach and Professional Training Office.

Students may also register in person for any class, held at any campus, in all business offices.

Frequently Asked Questions

PCD Class Registration Form

View the February - June 2013 Schedule

Contact Us

Curriculum

Parents, Children and Divorce is an interactive seminar designed to help parent sunderstand the needs of their children during the transition of divorce. Skilled facilitators will guide parents through interactive discussions, role-playing exercises and informational charts to help them recognize how to make decisions for the betterment of their children’s lives, not through anger at each other. Parents are reminded that the dissolution of a marriage is not the dissolution of a family. Relationships and responsibilities with the family may change, but children still have a mother and a father. It is important for parents to understand the impact of divorce onchildren of different ages. This seminar enables parents and their children to deal with the impactof divorce in a way that is helpful to all family members.

The curriculum includes the following topics:

• Divorce Terms You Need to Know
• Talking with Your Child About Divorce
• Helping Children Through Divorce
• The Many Experiences of Divorce
• Stages of Loss and Grief
• Divorce and the Stages of Child Development
• What About Children’s Residence
• Divorced Parenting
• Visitation- Parenting Time- Parental Access
• The Economic Impact of Divorce, Parenting Plans
• Divorce Counseling
• Communicating with the Other Parent
• Games Parents and Children Play
• Dealing with Anger
• Families in Transition

Certificate of Completion

Two copies of the Certification of Completion will be mailed to you within two weeks of the end of the seminar. One copy is for you to keep and the second is for you to turn into the court. Roane State Community College is not responsible for sending Certifications of Completion to the court.