I am not convinced that he is capable of this convo even with a C there, drop that expectation, go in open and with the intent to do a lot of listening. If you both go in stony-faced and unmoveable you can bet nothing will happen. Please note, I am not saying you give anything up, just listen openly.
If he can't hold his temper or attempts to manipulate, a good C who deals with this on a daily basis will see right through that and it will be in the report.
Don't expect a lot of movement without several meetings. More precisely, expect nothing.
Be a new Melissa he's never seen.
Why drop the expectation when that is the behavior he always shows? If someone keeps stealing my paper everyday, you want me to assume he won't do it tomorrow? Come on! Melissa isn't in the stage where she is DBing to get her marriage back. Now, she's fighting for her kids well being. At this point, she should be using everything she has (her intelligence to deduce his actions or behaviors). If I were her, I wouldn't put my childrens future in the hands of a counselor. Just in my state alone there was one who was the deciding factor in many divorce cases that sent the child to one parent or the next. This C didn't even have a degree. She made up all her credentials and made millions from it.
Melissa,
You know your h more then any of us here. You see how he is on a daily basis. If you think he can NOT do the things you tell us he does, then go see a C. If not, don't waste your time.
