Our program was developed in 1991 and has been used as a model for many other programs in the state of Georgia, throughout the country, and internationally.
This seminar was designed to help reduce the anxiety children of divorce experience and to improve the communication between co-parent.
Our instructors are licensed mental health professionals and have many years of experience in helping families successfully transition through the divorce process.
Children of Divorce® was conceived and developed by Jeri Amann-Apple and Marti Kitchens-Cobb, both Marriage and Family Therapists in private practice. They clearly saw the need for such a program as they observed the frequency of divorce and re-marriage in their respective practices, and the effect that had on children. They approached judges from both Carroll and Douglas counties who were willing to write a standing court order specifically requiring divorcing parents with children under the age of 18, to attend this seminar. It quickly spread to other counties in the area. This program has been in existence for nearly three decades. The program has also been sold both nationally and internationally.
Children of Divorce, Inc. was originally a partnership but was incorporated as a private, for profit entity in 1991, the name was registered and the material was copyrighted.
DEAR Network, Inc., was founded as a private not for profit organization in 1997 by Ron Cobb. DEAR, or Divorce, Education, Assessment and Referral, provided Cooperative Parenting, a series of 8 week classes for high conflict couples who were divorced or divorcing. There was a growing need for such a service as the courts were overwhelmed with revolving door families and were looking for a more productive way to handle conflict than using the court system. Cooperative Parenting taught parents how to communicate as divorced parents, how to resolve conflict and keep their children out of the middle.
Although they have turned over the day to day tasks to Tina Robinson, L.C.S.W., C-ASWCM, Marti and Jeri keep involved in the program as consultants and they continue to revise the course content from time to time reflecting current empirical research data.
Our Instructors
Tina A. Robinson, Administrator
MSW, LCSW, C-ASWCM, Certified Mediator
Tina A. Robinson is a licensed clinical social worker providing mental health counseling and case management services to adults, older persons, and their families. Ms. Robinson has over 25 years of experience with 18 years in hospital-based social work.
Her private practice assists individuals with issues related to grief and loss, anxiety, depression, chronic illness, separation/divorce adjustment, and domestic violence. Ms. Robinson has served as a legal guardian/conservator for the Carroll and Haralson County Probate Courts since 1999. Additional experience includes home health and hospice care as well as adjunct faculty in the Sociology Department of the State University of West Georgia. She has been an instructor with the Children of Divorce Program since 1992 and assumed the role of Director in 2007.
Ms. Robinson’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in social work from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia. She has also completed postmaster’s studies in Gerontology at Georgia State University.
In addition, her credentials include certified advanced social work case manager and certified mediator. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Academy of Certified Social Workers, the National Guardianship Association and the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.
Jeri Apple
MSW, LCSW, LMFT
Jeri Apple is the co-founder as well as an instructor for Children of Divorce, a state approved education program for divorcing parents. Her empathy for children and an in-depth understanding of family dynamics served her well as she created an interactive, awareness-raising program to help parents navigate the sometimes murky waters of divorce.
Jeri has over 25 years experience helping individuals, couples, and families resolve the issues that hold them back. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Work and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She left private practice when she was selected to develop Tanner Women’s Center, the preeminent women’s health center in West Georgia.
With a focus on wellness, the center was designed to serve as a resource for women who want to become more proactive about their health. Serving as Director, Jeri grew to understand at a deeper level the importance of integrative health. She developed programs that addressed the physical, emotional, and relationship concerns of women. She learned the importance of partnering with an individual’s physician (when appropriate) to support a comprehensive plan of treatment. She continues to help patients and physicians build stronger relationships for better outcomes.
Gary Kimbrough
MDiv
Since 2003, Gary Kimbrough has been working with parents, children and adolescents using Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. He also teaches the Children of Divorce program mandated by the state of Georgia. Gary’s specialty is in working with parents and their children. He does this primarily via Equine Assisted Learning making use of various exercises and structures designed to develop communication and problem-solving skills.
Gary also has extensive counseling experience in corporate environments including working for a nationwide external Employee Assistance Program provider to fortune 500 companies such as Coca Cola, Georgia Pacific, IBM, AT&T and Federal Express. He conducted many drug and alcohol interventions onsite and performed critical incident stress debriefings following a workplace incident. He also has experience training and developing clinicians, and coordinating stress debriefings.
Gary received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Alabama in Psychology with a minor in music. In 1983, he graduated from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master in Divinity and an emphasis on clinical pastoral training. Gary is currently a certified Equine Assisted Professional at Level One. He is a member of the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association through EAGALA in Santequin, Utah.