Sometimes divorcing parents don't realise the effect they are having on their children until they see someone else going through the same thing, according to divorce expert Christina McGhee. "It's not rocket science, but it can be difficult to sit back and look at the effect your behaviour may be having on children. In parent education classes, people can suddenly see it in someone else's situation."

This, McGhee says, is just one of the benefits of the compulsory classes she runs for parents in Texas - four-hour courses which courts in the US state insist parents must undergo before they can proceed with a formal divorce.

Such lessons in how to protect children from the harmful effects of divorce are about to begin in Scotland, and the not-too-long-term aim is for them to become compulsory here.

The initiative is a joint one between Relationships Scotland and the Scottish Collaborative Family Law Group. The two agencies (the former is the result of a recent merger between Relate and Family Mediation Scotland) brought McGhee to Scotland to train parent educationalists to replicate her methods.

Known to TV audiences from the Channel 4 series How to Divorce Without Screwing up your Kids, McGhee has had more than two decades of training parents to avoid the common pitfalls of an unpleasant separation.

"It's important to help children feel connected when they go through the process," McGhee explains. "Following a divorce, many children say they don't feel like they have a family any more."

The negative effects are statistically fairly well established, she adds. Children of divorcing parents can see a drop in performance at school, or may suffer depression and mental health issues. There is a high risk of losing contact with the non-resident parent and the child is more likely to be involved in a divorce themselves. "There is a long list of ways in which children are compromised," says McGhee.

In parenting classes, groups of parents - separating partners can attend together or in separate sessions - are helped by facilitators to think through the way their actions may unwittingly affect their children. They are given information about how children may be affected emotionally and developmentally, and trained in positive communication skills.

The issues covered, McGhee explains, include: "How do they talk to their children about separation and divorce, how to deal with it if you have a partner who is bad mouthing you and saying bad things, or perhaps sharing inappropriate adult information with children, and how to manage tension when children are involved."

The element of compulsion is important, she says, as it removes any stigma involved in attending the classes, and overcomes a regular problem: "Usually the people who most need a service are least likely to call on it." McGhee says 90-95% of parents report afterwards that her course was time well spent.

The approach is as relevant in Scotland as it is in the USA, according to Cath Karlin, former convener of the Scottish Collaborative Family Law Group. Once it has demonstrated its worth, she hopes the imminent trial will also be made a requirement prior to a divorce being granted.

"Hopefully the pilots will be up and running within a few months. I've no doubt this will be a huge success," Karlin says. "Once it is we will ask the government to make it mandatory."

Last week, McGhee trained 50 people working with Relationships Scotland and they will begin work with "real live parents" immediately, Karlin adds.

In the first instance it is likely to be offered to parents who currently use the agency's contact centres to manage child contact. "They already have enough conflict that they have to go through a third party to manage contact. So they could be the first to benefit from going to parenting classes and getting some insight."

While those behind the initiative are hoping to get additional funding, parents will be charged for attending, but at rates designed to keep the courses accessible - £25 for those who are waged and £10 for those without an income.