1. What is Dealing with Divorce?
Dealing with Divorce: Finding Direction When Your Parents Split Up is a Bible study curriculum published by Zondervan. It is written for teens to help them process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences that follow their parents’ divorce.
2. How long is the study?
Dealing with Divorce is a 6-12 week study. The Participant’s Guide contains six chapters and the Leader’s Guide contains additional ideas, activities, and discussion questions at the end of each chapter, allowing the leader to extend that particular chapter into an additional week. The study provides plenty of Biblical, introspective, and interactive material, so depending on the needs of the group, the DWD group can last anywhere from 6-12 weeks.
3. What ages will benefit from the study?
Dealing with Divorce: Finding Direction When Your Parents Split Up was written with middle school and high school youth in mind. Many of the activities appeal to younger teens, while some discussion questions are geared told older high school students. That’s the beauty of this study: group leaders can pick and choose which activities and questions they use, and then tailor the study to suit their group’s dynamics.
4. Who is qualified to lead a group?
The main qualification for a group leader is someone who has a passion for youth and a desire to help youth heal emotionally and spiritually. Group leaders should be college age or older. They do not need formal education in youth ministry or counseling to lead a group through this study, as each chapter provides leaders with discussion questions, icebreaker games, and other activities to spark conversation.
5. Should DWD groups be gender-based or coed?
This decision is a personal preference. Both types of groups are beneficial depending on personalities, size of the group, and group dynamics. If your group is large in numbers, splitting by age might be helpful (middle school in one group, high school in another), or by gender. The group leader should make that decision based on the different personality types in the group, their history together, etc. The main thing to remember is to place students in groups that foster honesty and vulnerability during discussion time. Each student should feel safe to share his or her feelings knowing that the information shared in the group will stay in the group.
6. What if a church does not offer a DWD group? How can my teen benefit from the study?
If a church in your area does not offer a DWD group but you think your teen still needs help in processing through his or her parents’, you have several options:
- Independent Study – You can purchase the Participant’s Guide and let your teen study go through it on her own at her own pace. Let her know you are available at any time for questions. Then pray for her as she works through her memories, emotions, and experiences.
- Mentor – Pray for a mentor for your teen; maybe a college student, a youth intern, a youth pastor, or a neighbor. Pray God would bring someone into your teen’s life who is grounded in the Lord and has a genuine interest in seeing your teen find hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Through this relationship, you might suggest the mentor walk with your teen through the Dealing with Divorce Bible study. If you have trouble finding a mentor, talk to your church pastor or youth pastor about finding a mentor for your teen.
- Parent Talking Points – Some teens are resistant to going through a Bible study or even meeting with a mentor. These are the teens who are generally angry, bitter and have erected emotional walls to deal with their parents’ divorce.
If this describes your teen, do not give up. There is hope. I encourage you to purchase the Leader’s Guide and read through it to understand what your teen is thinking, feeling, and experiencing as a result of the divorce. The questions provided may also serve as a springboard for healthy conversation between you and your teen.
No one book will solve all of your problems, but a Bible study such as Dealing with Divorce might be the first step you and your teen need toward restoring your relationship after the divorce.
7. What topics does Dealing with Divorce cover?
Week 1: Identifying Your Feelings About Divorce
Week 2: Exploring Reasons for Divorce
Week 3: Life Changes After Divorce
Week 4: How to Effectively Communicate with Your Parents
Week 5: Choosing forgiveness After Divorce
Week 6: Growing Closer to Christ
