Supervised Visitation Program

Our supervised visitation program is highly regarded within the community. Our  visit supervisors are all trained and are there to assist your family throughout this process.

To begin visitation services both custodial and non-custodial parent are required to complete separate initial intake and assessment with the children to be completed before any visits may begin. Additionally, this allows the visit supervisor to gather background information, explain the guidelines/ boundaries of the supervised visitation program, begin building rapport as well as to obtain consent. ($125.00 each party for intake and each is responsible for their own intake fees). This service is not covered by insurance. 

Foundations Counseling, LLC provides; Child Custody Evaluations, Parenting Assessments, Therapeutic Supervised Visitation, Supervised Visitation, Reunification Therapy, Skype Sessions and/or Safe Monitored Exchanges within a safe and secured environment with a natural step down and fading out procedure at the appropriate time. All sessions will be with documented from a neutral unbiased party perspective. The fade out procedure includes, but is not limited to visitations taking place within natural settings within the community while keeping the child(ren’s) best interest and safety as our highest priority. 

Whatever has brought you to this stage, understand it is ok, we are here to help without judgement. Life is about changes and not about being the perfect parent, rather to be a healthy parent; a parent that will keep your child(ren) safe and you can provide emotionally and physically for them. Being a parent that is emotionally stable yourself and understanding your self-care is important as well. 

As parents we all have days that we struggle with life's circumstances that affect our parenting. The important thing is that we are honest with our children when this occurs and not transfer our stress to our children. We are here to assist in these situations and help foster positive skills.

We understand it can be a tough step trusting your child(ren) with us. Foundations Counseling, LLC visit supervisors are all held to the highest ethical standards, maintain good moral character and to complete the Florida State Clearinghouse training for supervised visitation.  Our program follows Florida State Clearinghouse guidelines for supervised visitation and and all our visit supervisors follow them. This is geared to keeping the best interest and safety of the child(ren) both physically and emotionally at all times which is Foundations Counseling’s highest priority.  

Supervised Visitation Process: The supervised visitation process is designed to assure that child(ren) can have safe contact with the absent/visiting parent or a parent they may of had a prior conflict with in a natural environment. Goals may be to re-establish a bond, relationship, communication, process past absence and or situations and/or to establish if reunification is healthy at the current time.  

Supervised visitation is set up for the child(ren) to reduce opportunities of being place in the middle of any parents' conflicts or other problems, including but not limited to parents attempting to resolve their own emotional baggage and or past issues with one another. 

Therapeutic Supervised Visitation/Reunification Therapy: This looks like the same process as above but will also includes a therapeutic or counseling component and the therapist has a much more hands on approach within your session including teaching skills such as parenting, communication, coping and/or assisting with re-establishing communication, a bond or trust. A therapist works with the parties involved to help them identify and change negative behaviors, address unresolved issues, and facilitate improved communication and parenting skills as well as understanding efforts to work towards reunification with their children, if appropriate.

Supervised visitation is not Family Therapy. First and foremost, it is the child(ren)'s needs and overall emotional and physical safety that is takes priority throughout this process. Having the custodial parent present is not an option during supervised visitation as it  can possibly raise additional conflict while putting the children in a place where they may feel opportunities of torn loyalties and this will take focus off of the child(ren)'s needs and wants on working on their relationship with the visiting parent.

Benefits of supervised visitations. There are some significant benefits to both of the parents during supervised visitations. It is our hope that no one will look upon supervised visitation as a negative or punitive service. It is a tool that can help families as they go through difficult and/or transitional times and trying to heal and move forward. Some of the benefits may include:

1. Allowing the child(ren) to maintain a relationship with both of their parents. Even if this means rebuilding trust, a bond and positive communication with one another. 

2. The child(ren) can anticipate the visits with minimal stress of worrying about what is going to happen and enjoy their time in a safe, comfortable environment without being put in the middle of their parents' conflict and/or any other problems. As the visit supervisor is an unbiased party. Visitations are structure and within a safe environment.

3. For the primary parent (custodial parent) they can have ease allowing their child(ren) to have contact with their non-custodial parent. While this may be a process they can feel confident about the child(ren)'s safety without having to communicate or have contact with a person with whom they are in conflict with or by whom they might be frightened or intimidated by due to negative history when knowing their child(ren) are visiting with a trained professional. 

4. For the visiting parent (non-custodial parent) they can be sure that their contact with the child(ren) does not have to be interrupted due to any personal or interpersonal problems they may be having or conflicts with the child(ren)'s caretaker(s) or primary parent. If any past allegations have been made against them they can visit without fear of any new accusations because there is a trained therapist present who can verify what happened during their time together and knowledge of visitations being documented for the session. 

5. Each visitation is documented, goals are established throughout this process.  Parent training is on-going throughout this process and the visit supervisor/therapist  attempts to help establish a routine/schedule with structure for the visitations so all parties including the child(ren) know when visits will be at all times. 

Please email us today to set up and intake or contact us with any questions.