‘At lede efter Klumpen’

– Et analytisk afsæt til at udforske følelseshåndtering for børn i skilsmisse

Abstract

Divorce is a widespread phenomenon in Denmark, and up to 1/3 of all Danish children currently grow up with divorced parents (Danmarks Statistik 2014, 2019). The field of divorce research is dominated by a problem-oriented approach to the phenomenon of divorce and the implications of parental disruption (Wallerstein m.fl. 2002), nevertheless new research has shown a broad diversity in children’s experiences of living with divorce (Birnbaum m.fl. 2012). A similar problem oriented approach to divorce is reflected in the conversation groups that are being established in many Danish schools all over the country, to assist children in dealing with difficult emotions related to parental divorce. The conversation groups, utilizes a standardized method, which uses the metaphor Klumpen (the lumb) as a representation of the children’s pain, designed to support them in expressing and dealing with difficult emotions. The microstudy of the Lump, opens up to a deeper analytical understanding of the limitations of children’s room to express their unique divorce experi- ences in conversation groups informed by the professionals’ problem oriented basic assumptions of divorce.