Rafael and Maribel were not legally married. They were dating and had never lived together. They had a 4-week-old daughter together, and his ultimate goal in working with Child Find’s Parent Help program was to create a workable parenting plan without having to go to court. A caseworker contacted Rafael to learn a bit more about his situation, then emailed him a “Parenting Apart” packet designed to provide a starting point for Rafael’s goal.
In continuing discussions, he shared that he felt that Maribel had cheated on him in the past, and that he believed that she was planning to move to out of state. Rafael was encouraged to remain considerate of Maribel’s beliefs and emotions, and to communicate gently and honestly with her about his concerns. In addition to this, the caseworker also discussed options around the local mediation center, and both their option to use Parent Help.
In a follow-up discussion with Rafael, he shared that Maribel had not moved away and that he had actually had his daughter overnight on a few occasions. He and Maribel had also agreed to formalize a parenting plan when their daughter was 3 to 4 months old, and very much wanted help with this from Parent Help. Rafael was very interested in having Maribel be more open to the program’s engagement, and said he’ll be utilizing the Parenting Apart Packet in the near future.