Co-Parenting Advice: Why You Need To 'Grieve' Your Failed Marriage (VIDEO)

WATCH: How To Put Your Children First During A Divorce

In the middle of a divorce, how do you shift away from fighting with your former spouse toward focusing on your children's well-being?

First, you'll have to "emotionally divorce" yourself from your spouse, said Larry Friedberg, a Michigan-based psychologist specializing in helping children through divorce, who spoke with FOX 2 News Morning Friday.

"Every expert is telling people [to put the kids first], but not everyone is getting that," said Friedberg, who will be speaking at a Michigan divorce expo this weekend. "People have to go through a process of grieving from the relationship and disengagement from their relationship and recognizing that that is hard to do -- there's support out there: divorce support groups, some people need counseling to help them to really let go -- especially the person who was left by their partner -- that's especially hard."

It's not the first time we've heard about the effects of failing to emotionally divorce. In January, Deborah Moskovitch wrote a blog post on how remaining emotionally tied to your ex-spouse could affect the legal and financial aspects of your divorce.

Watch the video above to hear Friedberg's take on how children are affected by high-conflict marriages and divorce.

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