Divorce and Separation
Divorce is a traumatic life event that affects many people. For a divorcing couple the practical issues of separating are daunting enough without the exhausting waves of emotion that also frequently accompany such a major ending – pain, grief, anger and disillusion.
In recent years I have been part of a group actively involved in promoting changes to the way divorce happens. My work as a Family Consultant in Collaborative Practice supports divorcing and separating couples to understand and manage the complex emotional dynamics of their separation – a vital part of the process of transition that was overlooked or ignored in the traditional litigious approach. Without this perspective, I believe a healthy divorce and a positive recovery for all family members afterwards, including children, are very much harder to achieve.
The model I have helped develop is client-centred and interdisciplinary, enabling clients to see a range of different professionals within the team – family consultant, finance expert, lawyer, child specialist – as the process unfolds and the need arises. As a team we share the belief that successful divorce settlements cannot be reached without resolution of the underlying emotional pressures that can so easily undermine negotiations.
I am a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (www.collaborativepractice.com) and one of the first Family Consultants to be registered in the UK by Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce (www.resolution.org.uk).
To find out more about Collaborative Practice, or about how I and my colleagues might help you, please contact me.