Divorce and New Beginnings

Divorce and New Beginnings

From Bear Psychology Podcast by Dr. Anna Baranowsky

December 5, 2025 · 53 min · Season 7 · Episode 10

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of self-compassion practices for parents and children navigating the emotional challenges of divorce.

Using Self-Compassion practices after divorce can help both parents and children. Divorce and/or separation is a stressful but quite common experience for both parents and children. Children often carry guilt, shame, and anger along with many other big feelings that parents often feel ill-equipped to address. In her book, " Two Times as Much Love " Eileen Beltzner tells the story of Alexander, a third-grader struggling with the emotional aftermath of his parents' divorce, and his journey toward self-understanding and personal growth. Beltzner uses engaging storytelling and therapeutic tools rooted in mindfulness and self-compassion. The book models a deep respect for children's inner emotional lives, showing how events like divorce and social rejection can deeply affect a child's self-worth and worldview. Listen to our conversation with therapist and author Eileen Beltzner as she draws upon her many years of experience to walk us through how children navigate massive life and family changes like divorce. Eileen Beltzner is a child and family therapist, social worker, and author. She worked as a special care counselor, curriculum writer for children with special needs, and…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Anna Baranowsky

Guest: Eileen Beltzner

Topics covered

  • divorce
  • self-compassion
  • parenting
  • children's emotional health
  • mindfulness
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • divorce
  • self-compassion
  • children
  • emotional health
  • mindfulness
  • parenting
  • personal growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Centre for Mindfulness Studies

Books & works: Two Times as Much Love

More episodes of Bear Psychology Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Bear Psychology Podcast podcast page.