Why Emotional Regulation is Better than “Happy” for Kids During Divorce with Dr. Sasha Reiisieh

What actually helps children through divorce is often misunderstood. Many parents focus on minimizing disruption, protecting feelings, or maintaining a sense of normalcy. But children are not measuring legal outcomes or schedules—they are responding to something more subtle and more powerful: the emotional tone between the adults they depend on. In this conversation, Katherine Miller speaks with Dr. Sasha Reiisieh, licensed therapist and founder of Compassionate Minds Therapy who specializes in early childhood mental health and relational trauma, about what children truly experience during divorce, and what supports their long term sense of safety and stability. This is not a discussion of worst case outcomes. It is a clear, grounded look at how children adapt, what they internalize, and how parents can show up in ways that serve their child’s emotional foundation, even in the middle of their own uncertainty. Children do not need a perfect family structure. They need clarity, consistency, and regulated connection. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why conflict between parents, not divorce itself, is often the most destabilizing factor for children - How children interpret emotional inconsistency, even when parents try to keep things “normal” - Why two calm, regulated homes can be more stabilizing than one tense household. Highlights: (00:00) Meet Dr. Sasha Reiisieh (03:11) What Children Actually Experience in Divorce (05:33) Why Fixing Is Not the Goal (08:45) The Child Who Seems Fine (13:18) How Parents’ Emotions Shape Children (18:59) Conflict That Harms Children Most (21:39) Why Early Childhood Matters So Much (24:01) The Problem With Performing “Fine” (28:33) A Different Way to Think About Divorce (30:48) What Surprises Experts About Children’s Adaptation About our guest, Dr. Sasha Reiisieh Website: https://compassionatemindstherapy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-reiisieh-edd-lpcc-8ab910126/ About Divorce Dialogues and Miller Law Group Katherine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kemiller1/ Miller Law Group: https://miller-law.com/ More on her book “The Emotionally Savvy Divorce” at: https://katherinemiller.com/book/