Collaborative Divorce is an effective and productive model for guiding a family through the process of divorce. The purpose of Collaborative Divorce is to provide the context for couples to successfully resolve their divorce through a collaborative process that benefits themselves and their children. Collaborative Divorce involves a team of professionals who guide the family members through the uncoupling process. The clients and their lawyers agree in advance that no one will take a contested issue to court allowing the team members to focus attention on settling the case without the fear of adversarial techniques and approaches. The Collaborative Divorce team work to address the emotional, financial and legal aspects of the divorce.

The Collaborative Divorce team is composed of:

• Two clients
• Neutral financial specialist specifically trained to deal with divorce financial issues and to facilitate dialogue about money considering the short and long term implications of agreements.
• One or two collaborative family specialists specifically trained to deal with the emotional aspects of divorce by helping each spouse develop skills, attitudes and perspective to be successful in the collaborative process, and to develop a parenting plan.
• Child specialist specifically trained to deal with the needs of children in family transitions and to provide children with a voice in the process.
• Two collaborative attorneys specifically trained to deal with the legal issues of divorce who agree in advance to set aside adversarial strategies and focus on working together towards positive solutions for the family.

Benefits to clients

• Most qualified professionals deal with emotional, financial and legal needs.
• Pooling of expertise of each team member to assist in creating solutions.
• Focus and time is spent on assisting families to efficiently resolve problems and reach unique creative solutions.
• Address emotional issues that can block the process so that decisions are made from a point of educated, clear self interest.
• Emphasizes clients’ common interests and not differences.
• Clients maintain control over the outcome

Benefits to children

• Voice in the restructuring of the family system.
• Needs are kept at the forefront of the process.
• Insulates them from parental conflict.

Divorce Financial Specialist

• Neutral resource who is a specialist in family financial issues for divorcing couples.
• Provides direction and assistance in gathering and organizing financial information.
• Assists in budgeting and addressing interim money issues.
• Identifies financial challenges
• Promotes professional and client awareness of financial issues.
• Provides a neutral venue for clients to share and explore attitudes and beliefs.
• Works with other team members and clients to explore options.
• Reassess with clients, as needed, financial arrangements as family situations change

Collaborative Family Specialists

• Help spouses manage and contain emotions and change behavioral patterns.
• Teach problem solving and communication skills to facilitate the process.
• Help parents to develop stronger, healthier relationships and co-parenting skills as the family restructures and transitions.
• Provide structure for ongoing personal and/or business relationships.

Child Specialist

• Gives the children a voice in the divorce process and functions as the childrens’ advocate.
• Provides a safe, neutral environment for the children to express their feelings.
• Assesses the children’s functioning and adaptation to divorce.
• Helps parents understand and address the children’s feelings, needs and reactions to the family transition and restructuring.
• Address family issues important to the child Provides parents with information to assist them and their coaches to develop a co-parenting plan that will meet the children’s needs now and in the future.

Collaborative Attorneys

• Act as guides through the process.
• Help clients set realistic expectations about the law.
• Work with clients and the rest of the team to generate creative solutions.
• Advise clients to make decisions from enlightened self-interest and not emotions.
• Assist clients to look to the future for themselves and their children.
• Assist clients to find legal solutions to family issues.
• Help clients negotiate settlement terms and translate them to legal documents required by the court.