Co-Parenting Therapy in West Hills
Co-Parenting Therapy in West Hills with Julie Klamon, LMFT
When parents separate, two homes can be a real distance apart, handoffs eat into the day, and a child's week gets stitched together across neighborhoods. Co-parenting therapy is where you turn that strain into a plan the two of you can actually follow.
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 20 years of experience, and I have worked with many parents who came in worn down by the same arguments on repeat. You do not have to get along with your ex for this to work. You need a few reliable routines and a place to settle the friction before it reaches your kids.
My office is in Agoura Hills, roughly 25 minutes from West Hills on the 101 West. Virtual sessions are available too, which some parents find easier.
Co-Parenting in the West Hills Community
When homes are some distance apart, a casual midweek swap is rarely casual. Kids stay connected to the same friends and activities, which means you will keep crossing paths even after the household splits. That can feel awkward, and it is worth planning around rather than hoping to avoid.
Schooling adds its own moving parts. Many families use a mix of LAUSD and charter options, and a milestone like the move to high school can surface real disagreement about what is best. Coordinating pickups, dividing weekends, and keeping two calendars in sync all take steady communication. We use the sessions to build that scaffolding so the logistics stop generating fights.
What Co-Parenting Therapy Addresses
The work usually concentrates on a few areas. Communication that holds up under stress instead of spiraling. The logistics of two homes that sit some distance apart, including transportation, the shared calendar, and who handles what. Consistency between houses, so the rules a child lives under do not flip every few days. And reducing the conflict your kids are exposed to, which does more for how they cope than the divorce itself.
This is not couples counseling and it is not about reopening the relationship. We are working on the parenting partnership, the part that has to keep running no matter what happened between the two of you.
How Co-Parenting Therapy Works
We name the recurring trouble spots and take them apart one at a time. For some couples the answer is a clear, written communication plan; for others it is working through the resentment that keeps leaking into ordinary exchanges. The pace follows your situation, not a script. You can read more about how I work on my co-parenting therapy page.
Children never sit in on these sessions, yet they gain the most. Kids feel the temperature between their parents, and when it drops they stop carrying the weight of it. That shift tends to show up at home, with friends, and at school within a matter of weeks.
Who I Work With
Both Parents Together
One Parent on Their Own
Blended-Family Parents
Frequently Asked Questions About Co-Parenting Therapy in West Hills
What does co-parenting therapy in West Hills focus on?
It focuses on the practical reality of parenting from two homes: steadier communication, a workable schedule between households, consistent rules across both houses, and lower conflict overall. Sessions are designed for the adults and built around the situations that cause you the most strain, with the goal of keeping your children stable in both homes.
How long does it take to reach your office from West Hills?
It is about a 25 minute drive from West Hills along the 101 West, and the office sits right off the freeway. Given how spread out this part of the Valley is, some parents prefer secure video sessions, which are available anywhere in California.
We are deciding between schools, including El Camino Real Charter. Can therapy help us agree?
Yes. School decisions are a common sticking point for separated parents, especially when families are weighing LAUSD and charter options. We build a framework so the two of you can make those calls together rather than through conflict.
Do both of us need to attend, or can I start alone?
Either works. Joint sessions often move faster, but if your co-parent will not take part, you can still make progress on your own by focusing on your responses, your limits, and keeping your side of the communication consistent.
How is this different from going back to couples therapy?
Couples therapy works on the romantic relationship. Co-parenting therapy does not. We stay entirely on how you communicate and decide things as parents, with no agenda about reconciliation, which makes it easier for both people to participate honestly.
Our kids will not be in the sessions. How does that help them?
Children absorb the tension between their parents even when no one names it. When the two of you fight less and coordinate the long distances and schedules more smoothly, your kids feel the relief, and it usually shows up quickly in their mood and behavior.
In-Person and Virtual Co-Parenting Therapy Near West Hills
My office is in Agoura Hills, CA 91301, just off the 101. I provide in-person co-parenting therapy to families in West Hills and the nearby communities, including Woodland Hills, CA, Calabasas, CA, and Canoga Park, CA. Virtual sessions are available to parents anywhere in California.
If the distance and the friction have made co-parenting feel like a full-time job, there is a better way to set it up. Schedule a free phone consultation and we can map out a next step together.
CONTACT
Offering both in-person and virtual sessions