Building a Team of Collaborative Professionals for Your Divorce

 Posted on September 10, 2020 in Collaborative Law

When you end a marriage, what you are literally ending is a legal relationship between you and your spouse. However, everyone knows that ending a marriage is much more than just getting a divorce and severing your legal ties. Getting a divorce affects nearly every aspect of your life and touches everyone in the family, especially if you have children. In today’s family courts, any type of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or a collaborative divorce is preferred over a litigated divorce. In a collaborative divorce, you agree to work together with your spouse, in an honest, open, and respectful manner, to find solutions to your divorce problems. To help you solve those issues and work through your divorce, a collaborative divorce allows you to assemble a team of professionals tailored to your family’s needs

Divorce Coach

A divorce coach is a person who has a background in mental health, often a therapist or counselor, although his or her role in your divorce is not to provide you with therapy, but rather with motivation. A divorce coach’s role in a typical divorce is to help you and your spouse stay focused on your goals and to keep your emotions in check and you thinking clearly. Rather than focusing on the past, as a therapist would, the divorce coach places emphasis on the future.

Child Specialist

The most commonly reported worry that parents have during their divorce is how the end of their marriage will affect their kids. Children of all ages can be affected by divorce, regardless if they are toddlers or teenagers. Being exposed to such constant stress has been found to be the root cause of the negative effects associated with children of divorce. Understanding the needs of your children can help immensely, which is where a child specialist can help.

A child specialist is usually a person who has a background in mental health with specific training and focus on child development and family dynamics. This professional’s role is to help you and your spouse minimize any negative impact that the divorce might be having on your children. The child specialist can also help you brainstorm ideas and come up with solutions for arrangements for parenting time and allocating decision-making responsibilities. 

Financial Advisor

Many of the decisions that you will have to make during your divorce are decisions that pertain to you and your spouse’s finances. Because of this, at least one collaborative professional is a financial advisor of some kind. Typically, your financial advisor is either going to be a Certified Divorce Financial Planner (CDFP) or a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA). This professional will organize all of your financial information into useful reports so you and your spouse can make informed decisions about how to divide your property and assets. Your advisor’s role is to help you better understand your financial situation and brainstorm ideas for your future.

Contact a Will County Collaborative Divorce Attorney

There are more options than ever before for you to legally terminate your marriage, but if you are unsure of which option is right for you, speak with a knowledgeable Plainfield collaborative divorce lawyer. Collaborative law has many benefits, but it is not right for all families. At the Law Office of Ronald L. Hendrix, P.C., we have experience helping many clients with collaborative divorces and would be happy to assist you in any way possible. To schedule a free consultation, call our office today at 630-355-7776.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3804&ChapterID=59