71: Navigating High-Conflict Divorce: What's Best for the Kids?
Fri Jan 23 2026
Send us a text
Guest: Athena McCullough, LPC, LMFT
When families are caught in high-conflict divorce—battling in courtrooms and struggling to communicate—Athena McCullough steps in. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the complex intersection of family therapy and the legal system.
What We Cover
In this conversation, Athena shares her expertise on helping families navigate high-conflict divorce, the real impact of parental conflict on children, and practical strategies for maintaining healthy relationships during difficult times.
Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction - Who is Athena McCullough?
[1:30] Attorneys vs. mediation: What's best for divorcing couples?
[4:45] Do therapists go to court?
[6:15] The big question: Should unhappy parents stay together for the kids?
[10:00] How high conflict affects children
[13:30] Triangulation and emotional parentification
[17:45] When kids become their parent's emotional support
[21:00] Communicating with teens during conflict
[24:15] Active listening: Hearing what's underneath the anger
[26:30] Managing your own reactivity as a parent
[29:15] What is reunification therapy?
[31:00] Athena's journey into high-conflict divorce work
[32:00] Final advice: Slow down and listen
Key Takeaways
Slow down and listenAsk more questions than you give adviceBehavior is communicationProblematic behavior means your child is trying to tell you somethingYou can only control yourselfFocus on your own reactions, not controlling othersKids say important things in difficult waysLook past the tone to hear the message"There's no traffic jam on the high road"You don't get to keep misbehaving just because someone else doesAbout Athena McCullough
Athena is a licensed therapist based in Littleton, Colorado, who owns a group practice specializing in high-conflict divorce and court-ordered family therapy. She works with families navigating complex court systems and provides reunification therapy for disconnected parents and children.
Connect with Athena:
McCulloughFamilyTherapy.com | Serving clients throughout Colorado
Learn more about Jason's practice: Colorado Relationship Recovery
More
Send us a text Guest: Athena McCullough, LPC, LMFT When families are caught in high-conflict divorce—battling in courtrooms and struggling to communicate—Athena McCullough steps in. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the complex intersection of family therapy and the legal system. What We Cover In this conversation, Athena shares her expertise on helping families navigate high-conflict divorce, the real impact of parental conflict on children, and practical strategies for maintaining healthy relationships during difficult times. Timestamps [0:00] Introduction - Who is Athena McCullough? [1:30] Attorneys vs. mediation: What's best for divorcing couples? [4:45] Do therapists go to court? [6:15] The big question: Should unhappy parents stay together for the kids? [10:00] How high conflict affects children [13:30] Triangulation and emotional parentification [17:45] When kids become their parent's emotional support [21:00] Communicating with teens during conflict [24:15] Active listening: Hearing what's underneath the anger [26:30] Managing your own reactivity as a parent [29:15] What is reunification therapy? [31:00] Athena's journey into high-conflict divorce work [32:00] Final advice: Slow down and listen Key Takeaways Slow down and listenAsk more questions than you give adviceBehavior is communicationProblematic behavior means your child is trying to tell you somethingYou can only control yourselfFocus on your own reactions, not controlling othersKids say important things in difficult waysLook past the tone to hear the message"There's no traffic jam on the high road"You don't get to keep misbehaving just because someone else doesAbout Athena McCullough Athena is a licensed therapist based in Littleton, Colorado, who owns a group practice specializing in high-conflict divorce and court-ordered family therapy. She works with families navigating complex court systems and provides reunification therapy for disconnected parents and children. Connect with Athena: McCulloughFamilyTherapy.com | Serving clients throughout Colorado Learn more about Jason's practice: Colorado Relationship Recovery