Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to Administrative Order 2020 D 1, Children and Teens Speak is currently on hold. Children and Teens Speak will resume when in person court operations resume.

Children and Teens Speak is a free, four-hour, in-person Rainbows support group for children whose parents are going through a divorce, separation, or custody dispute. Children and Teens Speak is sponsored by the Cook County Domestic Relations Division, and run by Northwestern University Masters and doctoral students who are trained and certified Rainbows facilitators.

The program is secular and designed for any child from any economic, racial, ethnic, and religious background who is experiencing his or her parents’ divorce, separation, or custody dispute. Unlike individual therapy, Children and Teens Speak participants are able to grieve, communicate, and heal among peers, helping them feel less alone in their grief and gain confidence that only peer support can provide. Younger children will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

During the four-hour course, Participants will:

· Meet other children who are experiencing similar life-changing events;

· Learn to identify and use appropriate and effective coping skills;

· Begin to understand that the divorce, separation or custody dispute is not their fault;

· Have an opportunity to share their worries and fears;

· Develop and strengthen their problem-solving skills;

· Develop and strengthen their anger management skills; and

· Learn to manage their anxiety and reduce their emotional pain and suffering.

Attendance by children is by court referral only, meaning you will need to request a court order for your child to attend. This request must be made via a properly filed written motion. Children and Teens Speak generally meet one Saturday per month during the months of October through June in a downtown location during the same time as a Focus on Children class is offered.

For more information about Children and Teens Speak and for the current schedule, click here.

Para mas informacion sobre la programa “Children and Teens Speak” y para el horario mas corriente, presione aqui.