Texas Family Law Insiders Podcast: Episode 134 Guest: Bradley Craig
Host: Holly Draper
Date: March 4, 2026
Topic: Co-Parenting Tips for Guiding Clients in High-Conflict Parenting Relationships

Episode Overview

This episode features Bradley Craig, LCSW, CFLE, a leading co-parenting educator and founder of Between Two Homes. He joins host Holly Draper to discuss how attorneys and allied professionals can support clients involved in high-conflict co-parenting situations. The conversation covers practical strategies for family lawyers, clarifies terminology around co-parenting models, identifies signs of high conflict, discusses the role and limitations of parenting facilitators, and emphasizes the importance of client education.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bradley Craig’s Background and Approach

[Timestamps: 01:36–05:19]

• Brad is a licensed social worker, educator, and mediator with over 32 years of experience working virtually with families across Texas.
• Emphasizes "education and empowerment for families raising children between two homes," favoring strength-based terminology (e.g., "children growing up between two homes" vs. "children from broken homes").
• Personal experience as a child of separated parents.

  "I want to improve the quality of life for children growing up between two homes. And that we actually become more child focused in the work that we do." (05:25)

• Developed "Between Two Homes" educational resources for parents, attorneys, and mental health professionals.

2. Virtual Services for High-Conflict Families

[Timestamps: 02:41–04:49]

• Brad’s services are almost exclusively virtual, which, he argues, is often safer and more comfortable for both professionals and clients:

  "Do you want to sit in the same room with them or not?...The clients are much more comfortable in virtual rooms separate from each other than sitting in the same room." (03:13)

• Virtual platforms allow professionals greater control (e.g., placing parties in waiting rooms during escalations).

3. When to Involve Co-Parenting Professionals

[Timestamps: 10:51–14:27]

• Brad can be involved at any stage: pre-filing mediation, coaching during litigation, or post-decree as a parenting facilitator.
• Early involvement can save families from entrenched litigation and conflict.
• Sometimes hired for coaching one “problem” client at the attorney’s request:

  "Coaching where an attorney will say, look, my client is really the problem...so why don't you help guide them along the way?" (13:23)

4. Defining Models of Co-Parenting

[Timestamps: 14:49–20:28]

• Cooperative Co-Parenting: Parents communicate and collaborate closely. Child-focused decisions, shared events, and flexibility.

  "Cooperative co parents tend to be very child focused...These are the families that function cooperatively, hence the cooperative co parenting." (15:21)

• Parallel Co-Parenting (a.k.a. Parallel Parenting): Parents disengage, maintain clear boundaries, and make decisions independently within agreed parameters.

  "Parallel co parenting is where parents are disengaged, whether temporarily or permanently...We have to teach them to disengage first, get some boundaries in place..." (16:34)

• Conflicted Co-Parenting: Parents are entrenched in ongoing, harmful conflict that involves or impacts the child.

  "Conflicted co parenting...is what we are designed to protect children from...Our job...is to protect children from conflicted co parenting." (19:24)

• Notable Quote:

  "You don't have to like each other to be co parents, but you do need to love your child enough to do what's in the child's best interest. You’ve got to love your child more than you hate your co parent." (20:11)

5. Understanding "High Conflict"

[Timestamps: 21:47–26:39]

• High conflict characterized by:
  • Negative involvement of children in disputes.
  • Prolonged negative intimacy (ongoing hostile interactions).
  • Repeated attorney changes and litigation.
  • Accusations of personality disorders and parental alienation (often misused or self-diagnosed).

  "High conflict families move from neutrality into negative intimacy. Negative intimacy is, I still get that high, but instead of wanting to send you a heart icon, I want to send you a, you know, the devil icon..." (22:03) "Everybody's narcissist. Both parents will say the other parent is narcissist and both parents will claim alienation." (25:28)

6. What Family Lawyers Can Do

[Timestamps: 26:39–29:34]

• The single most important role for attorneys: Educate clients.

  "The biggest exploitation in family law of families is not providing them low cost education." (28:21)

• Use and distribute clear, accessible resources (books, online courses, brochures).
• Early education about legal realities (joint custody presumptions, effects of poor language in court).

  "Have your clients educated. Give them those resources...Educate them." (37:02)

• Empower clients to be less reactive and more child-focused.

7. Parenting Facilitators: Role, Process, and Limits

[Timestamps: 29:34–36:48]

• Parenting Facilitator: Court-appointed, non-confidential case manager tasked with reducing conflict, monitoring compliance, and communicating with attorneys.
• Parenting Coordinator: Similar, but confidential.
• Facilitators cannot make recommendations about primary custody, supervised visitation, or alter possession time.

  "I can't make recommendations about who should have primary...whether parenting time should be supervised or unsupervised...expanded or reduced." (32:06)

• Testifying in court is sometimes necessary and beneficial for accountability and transparency.

  "Jail therapy is a wonderful tool for parenting facilitators. You know, sometimes parents just don't get it until the judge says, okay, you're going to jail today..." (31:18)

• Indicators a case may benefit from a facilitator: persistent child involvement in conflict, seeking revenge over resolution, ongoing high conflict even after education.

8. One Piece of Advice to Family Lawyers

[Timestamps: 36:48–38:05]

• Education is central:

  "Give them those resources...Educate them...I find it frustrating how many parents come to me who could have utilized...the book, the online class, or other resources before they came to me." (37:02)

9. Resources & Organizations

[Timestamps: 38:05–39:10]

• Bradley’s Educational Sites:
  • Direct Services: childrenmiddle.com
  • Educational Resources: between2homes.com
• Professional Organizations:
  • FACTS Texas: factstx.org
  • TAFF: thetaff.com
  • North Texas FIT

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the importance of neutrality over negative intimacy:

  "Healthy co parents move to neutrality when they separate...High conflict families are embedded in the conflict. High conflict families move from neutrality into negative intimacy." (22:03)

• On misuse of psychological terms:

  "If when I retire, the words I am looking forward to no longer hearing are the words narcissistic personality disorder and alienation. They've both been used and abused in our field..." (25:28)

• On the recurring need for education:

  "I'm a broken record, but really have your clients educated. Give them those resources...Educate them." (37:02)

Segment Timestamps (Key Segments)

• 01:36 – Bradley Craig’s background and personal motivation
• 03:13 – Advantages of virtual services
• 10:51 – When to involve co-parenting professionals
• 14:49 – Defining healthy co-parenting and its models
• 21:58 – What makes a relationship high conflict
• 26:48 – What lawyers can do to support better co-parenting
• 29:50 – The role and limitations of parenting facilitators
• 36:48 – Final advice to family lawyers
• 38:05 – Contact information and further resources

Takeaways for Family Law Professionals

• Early and thorough education of clients is essential to avoid escalation and protect children from conflict.
• Co-parenting structures must be tailored to the nature and level of parental conflict, with safety and child-focus as priorities.
• Parenting facilitators can be pivotal for entrenched conflict but are not a "magic fix"—early involvement and correct expectations are crucial.
• Attorneys should remain vigilant for red flags indicating high-conflict patterns and seek skilled allied professionals accordingly.

This episode provides practical insights and frameworks for lawyers and professionals working with separating parents, clearly illustrating how proactive education and specialized support can improve family law outcomes and better serve the best interests of children.