These blog articles address navigating separation and divorce and finding ways to make it work. I hope you’ll find them useful and invite your comments and questions.
3 Tips for an Amicable Divorce
It’s no surprise that every January I hear from people who have resolved to bring a peaceful end to their marriage. By the time someone contacts my family and divorce mediation practice, they’ve been contemplating divorce for a long time and have concerns about the impact of divorce on their children and finances. The… Read More »
Sites That Encourage Heroic Co-Parenting After Divorce
My last post addressed the importance of children having access to both parents who are separated or divorced. But here’s the rub… Co-parenting with your “Ex” can be especially challenging as you navigate the new, prickly terrain of separation and divorce. Often it takes a heroic act to put conflict aside and put children’s… Read More »
The Best Gift for Kids in Divorce: Access to Both Parents
Several studies have shown that children point to “loss of a parent” as the most harmful consequence of their mother and father divorcing. Most often the “lost parent” is Dad. Traditionally, mothers have tended to be gatekeepers, and when trust in a marriage is lost, fathers often see the gates close to them. Sometimes… Read More »
An Expert’s Advice on Insuring Child Support & Alimony
People typically know that the cash value of a Whole Life insurance policy can be a marital asset and subject to division on divorce. But term life insurance and disability insurance are often overlooked in divorce negotiations since they accrue no cash value. That’s a big mistake, especially when there is child support or… Read More »
Four Strategies for Mediating a High Conflict Divorce
Sometimes people assume that the only way to handle their divorce with a high conflict partner is to “lawyer up” and “buckle down” for the roller coaster ride. Statistically, this approach leads to increased conflict and less satisfaction with the results. There are also enormous financial and emotional costs, which can be compounded when… Read More »
Does “Mediator Certification” Matter?
Yes and No. In the mediation world, practitioners debate whether mediators ought to be certified and, if so, how to do it. Some courts allow only “certified mediators” to be placed on court rosters, but most simply require that mediators have completed a 40-hour training class. And in the private sector, there are no… Read More »
Getting Out of the Emotional Rut: Finding the Road to Peace
Divorce is one of life’s major traumas. On the famous Holmes and Rahe stress scale, divorce is the second biggest stressor after death of a spouse. At the same time, the trauma of divorce usually goes hand-in-hand with other stressors on the scale, ranging from moving out of the family home to facing a reduced… Read More »
Want to Avoid a Long Divorce?
The 17-year long divorce proceedings of two law professors in Ohio have been highly publicized in the news recently. While their protracted case made headlines, most of us have heard a story or two about a horrible divorce that went on for years – and years. Here are some of the issues a couple,… Read More »
Five Tips for Dating During Separation
So you and your spouse are separated. You’re living in your own place. Your spouse is living somewhere else. You’re waiting out the requisite year of separation to file for divorce, but you’re feeling antsy to move on with your life, to meet someone else, to date. … It’s not unusual at this juncture… Read More »
Is Mediation Appropriate for Couples Who Want to Reconcile?
One of the first questions I ask my clients is “Has there been a decision to divorce?” I ask because couples seek help at various stages of their marriage crisis. Sometimes both people are quite sure they’re ready for divorce. Often, only one person is. And sometimes, neither party is sure they want a divorce, but… Read More »
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