Is this the same as the High-Conflict Co-Parenting course?

No. That course is broader: personal regulation, communication skills, documentation, and the emotional work of co-parenting. This one teaches the parallel parenting model specifically. If your court ordered a co-parenting class, start with the High-Conflict course; it is the one written for that order.

Do I have to prove my ex is a narcissist?

No, and you should not try. Nothing in this course depends on a diagnosis. It depends on the pattern you are living with.

Does parallel parenting mean I lose involvement in my child's life?

No. It reduces unnecessary contact with the other parent. It does not reduce your time or your role.

How long does it take?

8-10 hours at your own pace. Your progress saves as you go.

What if things are worse than high-conflict?

If you or your child are unsafe, this course is not the first step. A safety plan and the professionals who can help you build one come first. In the U.S., the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.

Parallel Parenting · Court-Accepted Certificate

Parallel parenting with a narcissist: stop needing them to cooperate.

You cannot make a high-conflict co-parent reasonable. You can build a structure that does not require them to be. This course teaches the parallel parenting model in full: minimal contact, written communication, exchanges without conversation, and boundaries that hold on the days they push hardest.

Built for parents who need stability without waiting for cooperation.

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$89.95 · Instant access · Court-accepted certificate included.

A mother walking with her son along one of two parallel garden paths in warm evening light, her hand on his shoulder

11 modules

The complete parallel parenting framework, from first boundaries to long-term stability.

8-10 hours

Self-paced access on phone, tablet, or computer.

$89.95

One-time purchase with instant course access.

Court-accepted certificate

Certificate included after successful completion.

You have tried. Shorter messages. Longer messages. Silence. Every version gets read as an opening, and every reply lands in your child's week.

Parallel parenting is what family professionals turn to when co-parenting has been tried honestly and has failed. It does not ask you to understand the other parent, forgive them, or win. It asks you to reduce the number of chances conflict has to reach your child.

This course teaches the structure instead of simply telling you to avoid conflict.

What parallel parenting changes this month

One channel, written, on the record.

Logistics only. Nothing through your child. A message rule you can hold when the provocation arrives at 11pm.

Exchanges that are logistics, not battlegrounds.

A named place, a named time, no conversation. Your child stops bracing.

Your house, your rules.

Bedtimes, meals, homework, and screens are decided in each home, not negotiated across them. The power struggle loses its fuel.

Co-parenting vs. parallel parenting

Question	Co-parenting	Parallel parenting
It requires	Cooperation, flexibility, goodwill on both sides	Structure that does not depend on the other parent cooperating
Communication	Frequent, informal, conversational	Minimal, written, documented
Exchanges	Flexible, with events often attended together	Scheduled, neutral, scripted
It works when	Both parents can set the conflict aside	One parent will not or cannot
Your child gets	Two cooperative homes	Two calm homes, without the crossfire

If every exchange becomes a confrontation, the answer is not trying harder at a model built on cooperation. It is switching to the model built for its absence. That is what this course teaches.

What a lesson looks like

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$89.95 · Instant access · Court-accepted certificate included.

Eleven modules. The structure, module by module.

Understanding Parallel Parenting
Why this model exists, who it is for, and why reducing adult contact can protect children.
Why Reducing Conflict Matters More Than Cooperation
What research and court practice show about children in high-conflict households.
Letting Go of Control Without Letting Go of Your Child
How to focus your energy on the household, records, and parenting choices you can control.
Communication That Does Not Harm
Email, app-based, and written protocols that reduce escalation and create a usable record.
Transitions, Exchanges, and Emotional Safety
How to structure handoffs so they become logistics instead of battlegrounds.
Parallel Parenting Plans and Boundaries
What belongs in a parallel parenting plan and how to describe boundaries clearly.
School, Activities, and Outside Systems
How to manage teachers, coaches, medical providers, and records when direct coordination is limited.
Managing Interference and Power Struggles
How to document violations, work with your attorney, and respond without feeding the conflict.
When Children Resist or Refuse
How to understand resistance without overreacting or putting more pressure on your child.
Long-Term Outcomes and Emotional Resilience
What children need over time when their parents cannot safely co-parent in the traditional way.
Moving Forward With Stability and Confidence
How to know when the structure is working and what would need to change before loosening it.

Developed from decades inside custody conflict

Suzanne Dircks, M.A., LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor with 44 years of experience in child custody cases, over 1,000 Guardian ad Litem investigations, and a private practice in Tacoma specializing in families navigating separation.

This course reflects what she has seen children and courts need most when cooperation is no longer realistic: lower conflict, cleaner documentation, and steadier parenting.

Suzanne Dircks, M.A., LMHC

Licensed Mental Health Counselor | Former Guardian ad Litem

The framework is practical enough for daily life and credible enough for parents working with attorneys, GALs, and evaluators.

She has heard the word “narcissist” more times than she can count. What she teaches is what protects the child regardless of what the other parent is.

Will your court accept this certificate?

Courts often support parallel parenting in high-conflict cases when traditional co-parenting has broken down. Your certificate documents that you completed the course and are taking child-centered steps to reduce conflict. It does not describe the other parent, and it should not.

Our guarantee

If your court does not accept this certificate after you complete the course, provide written documentation and we will refund you in full.

Court requirements vary by jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

Your child needs less conflict around the edges.

A court-aware framework for lower contact, clearer records, and a calmer parenting rhythm. Not a better relationship with them. A better week for your child.

Start the course

$89.95 · Instant access · Court-accepted certificate included.

Available 24/7. Private course access.

Also available

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Each path is designed for a different court, custody, or co-parenting pressure point.

See the full course library