The Short Answer
The value of the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program depends on what you’re hoping to gain.
If you’re simply looking to earn continuing education credits, add another credential to your résumé, or fulfill a professional requirement, there are many programs that can help you do that.
However, if you’re looking for a child-centered framework that:
- Redefines how you approach family change after a divorce
- Shifts how you engage with separating parents
- Teaches you how to use your influence as a professional
The Co-Parenting Specialist® model offers something fundamentally different.
The questions you ask.
The value of any professional training isn’t measured by the number of hours you spend in a course.
It’s measured by what changes after the training.
And ultimately, the outcomes families experience.
The concerns you recognize.
The conversations you have.
The decisions you help parents make.
That’s the lens we encourage professionals to use when deciding whether any specialized training is worth the investment.
Why Experienced Professionals Are Selective About Training
If you’ve been in practice for any length of time, you’ve probably attended a training that sounded promising but didn’t deliver. While the description seemed on point, in the end, it had very little impact on how you actually work with clients.
You rearranged your schedule.
Stepped away from your practice and your family.
Paid the registration fee.
Maybe even booked a flight and hotel.
Then returned to work with pages of notes but very little that changed your day-to-day practice.
The problem usually isn’t the quality of the information. Most professionals already have access to more information than they could ever use.
The challenge is finding a professional development program that changes how you think, strengthens your judgment, and influences the way you engage with clients long after the training is over.
That’s especially true when working with divorcing parents.
Divorce isn’t a single-moment event. It’s an ongoing process of family change that unfolds over time. The professionals who work with parents during the early stages often become significant points of influence during one of the most vulnerable periods in a family’s life.
As a first responder to divorce, simply learning more information won’t be enough.
What to Look for Before Investing in Professional Training
How can professionals realistically evaluate whether a training program will move the needle?
It’s not always easy.
Every program promises valuable insights, practical tools, experienced instructors, and positive outcomes. Most feature polished marketing materials and glowing testimonials.
So how do you determine whether a training is likely to strengthen your practice in meaningful ways—or simply provide ideas, research, and theories?
The answer requires discernment.
Before you invest your time, money, and energy, look beyond the brochure.
Read graduate testimonials, but don’t stop at the star ratings.
Pay attention to what professionals consistently say about their experience. Are they simply describing an enjoyable training, or do they talk about lasting changes in how they think, engage with clients, and approach their work? Do they mention resources they continue using months after the training has ended?
Take time to learn about the trainers as well.
How much real-world experience do they have working with the families you serve? How long have they been doing this work? Listen to a podcast, watch a webinar, or find a presentation online. When you do, ask yourself whether their philosophy, approach, and way of thinking resonate with the kind of professional you hope to become.
Finally, consider what you’ll walk away with.
Will you leave with ideas you’ll quickly forget, or practical resources, strategies, and frameworks that become part of your day-to-day practice?
The goal isn’t simply finding a training that sounds impressive. It’s finding one that will genuinely impact the way you support families.
Questions Worth Asking Before Enrolling in Any Professional Development Program
1. Will This Training Help Me Cultivate Discernment or Simply Provide Information?
Information is valuable. However, discernment is what helps professionals know when, why, and how to apply that information in the unique situations families bring to them.
One of the most consistent observations we hear from graduates of the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program is that the experience transformed how they approached their work. They describe the training as eye-opening, game-changing, and immediately applicable because it strengthened not only what they knew, but how they used that knowledge to guide and engage with separating families.
Before investing in any professional training, ask yourself:
- Will this training help me get better at what I do?
- Will it provide me with a framework for addressing challenging practice issues?
- Will it provide practical tools and resources I can use in my practice?
- Will it help me become more confident and intentional in how I influence the families?
2. Will I Be Able to Integrate This into My Practice?
One of the most common frustrations professionals voice after attending a training is realizing they have no practical way to implement what they learned. Many trainings offer theories or discuss practice challenges without providing clear options for managing dynamics differently.
Effective training should be relevant across a wide range of situations and immediately applicable within your current role.
Whether you’re a lawyer, mediator, therapist, coach, financial professional, or court professional, the concepts offered in the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training will strengthen the work you’re already doing within your specific discipline.
We help professionals expand their perspective and skills while staying in their professional lane.
3. Does the Training Address Children’s Experiences During Divorce?
Some professionals receive education about children that complements their identified role. Far fewer receive meaningful training focused on children’s experiences during family restructuring and the nuances of working with co-parents and children of divorce.
Understanding conflict is important.
Understanding legal process is important.
Understanding mental health is important.
Understanding grief and loss is important.
But professionals who work with separating families and co-parents should also understand:
- How children think, feel, and experience divorce
- The developmental needs of kids when parents part
- How loyalty conflicts occur, transitioning between homes, impact identity and attachment
- The pillars that support positive long-term family adjustment
4. Will This Training Improve My Professional Judgment?
The best training doesn’t provide scripts for every situation.
It helps cultivate discernment. It helps professionals become better identifiers, referrers, and guides.
In this training, you will learn to:
- Recognize patterns earlier.
- Ask better questions.
- Identify concerns more quickly.
- Strategically use educational support.
- Guide parents to make more skillful choices.
- Encourage healthy co-parenting communication while keeping children anchored in family.
The Co-Parenting Specialist® Perspective
One of the biggest misconceptions about the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program is that it prepares professionals for a new role.
It doesn’t.
Family lawyers remain family lawyers.
Mediators remain mediators.
Therapists remain therapists.
Divorce coaches remain divorce coaches.
Who they are as professionals doesn’t change. What changes is their lens.
How Does This Show Up in Practice?
That shift becomes evident in the way professionals approach everyday conversations with families.
Practitioners often report changes such as:
- Greater awareness regarding how children experience family change
- Earlier identification of loyalty conflicts and child-centered concerns
- More thoughtful conversations with parents
- Better interdisciplinary collaboration and referrals
- Increased confidence navigating complex co-parenting dynamics
Most importantly, many describe a shift in how they think about divorce itself.
Rather than viewing divorce solely as the end of a marriage, they begin viewing it as the redefining of a family and an opportunity to help parents build a healthier path forward for their
Is Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Worth It?
Ultimately, that depends on what you’re hoping to gain.
If you’re looking for a credential to add to your CV, there are lots of options available.
If you’re looking for a child-centered framework to strengthen how you support separating families while remaining grounded in your practice and discipline, our graduates would argue the investment is worthwhile.
The better question may not be: “Is this training worth it?”
The better question is:
“What kind of professional do I want to become, and what knowledge, perspective, and framework will help me get there?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Co-Parenting Specialist® Training a certification?
No. The CoPS model is a multidisciplinary framework designed to enhance existing professional roles rather than replace them.
Who can take Co-Parenting Specialist® Training?
The training is designed for professionals who work with separating and divorcing families, including attorneys, mediators, therapists, divorce coaches, financial professionals, parent coordinators, and court professionals.
Does the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program offer credit hours for professionals?
Yes. The program offers 16 continuing education (CE) credit hours for eligible mental health professionals and 16 MCLE credit hours for eligible family law professionals.
Christina McGhee is an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7629) through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
For more details about course requirements, program content, and learning objectives for Mental Health Professionals, visit our NBCC Credit Hours Page.
For Legal Professionals The Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program, is working with the American Bar Association to meet its accreditation needs.
This program is eligible for 16 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states and 19.2 hours of CLE credit in 50-minute states.
Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rule. To learn more, visit our MCLE Continuing Education Credits Page.
The cost of credit hours is included in your registration fee, so there are no additional charges.
What makes the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program different from other professional training?
Rather than focusing primarily on information transfer, the CoPS model emphasizes a child-centered framework that influences decision-making, professional judgment, and family outcomes.
Does CoPS replace my current profession?
No. Professionals continue practicing within their existing discipline while integrating a child-centered framework into their work.
How do I know if CoPS is right for me?
Professionals who are committed to supporting children, strengthening family outcomes, and improving how they navigate divorce-related challenges often find the framework particularly valuable.
Christina McGhee is an internationally recognized divorce parenting expert, author, trainer, and creator of the Co-Parenting Specialist® Training Program. For more than two decades, she has helped professionals and parents better understand the impact of separation and divorce on children. Through her writing, training, and educational programs, Christina works to promote child-centered approaches that improve outcomes for families navigating divorce. You can learn more about Christina here.