Families and Divorce
{2:30 minutes to read} Communication is key in every interaction of our lives. We all say things that can lead to different interpretations. And what we hear the other person say may not necessarily be what they meant. So when in doubt, do not hesitate to ask, “What do you mean by that?” I listened…
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{3:30 minutes to read} Robert and Chris had mediated their divorce a few years back. They had agreed that since Chris was moving away to another part of the country, it would be in the children’s best interest to stay in their home with Robert and remain at the same school. Robert and Chris had…
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{3 minutes to read} James was brought in to see a child psychologist by his mother: “I am very sad,” he said, “because my parents are getting divorced.” The therapist responded: “Your parents are not getting divorced, the spouses are getting divorced.” James was not quite sure what to make of this answer so the…
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{2 minutes to read} In our previous article, How you handle the separation will have a lasting effect on your children, we talked about the negative impact a poorly handled separation can have on children. We also made a few suggestions for divorcing parents. On January 3, 2019, the article 2 Divorce Lawyers Better After…
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{3 minutes to read} Families in conflict or couples going through divorce often ask me how I manage to work day-in and day-out with people in constant disagreement and distress, yet still remain calm. Well, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is that I am not a party to the dispute. The…
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{2:30 minutes to read} Graduations, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, First Communions, school performances: all events that children want their parents to attend together. But what happens when parents are at such odds with one another that it is “impossible” for them to be in the same room? It’s important to remember that: This is your child’s special…
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{3:20 minutes to read} My colleague Joy Rosenthal, an attorney and mediator whom I admire for her ability to always put other people’s needs ahead of hers, wrote an article after reading “Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict” by Donna Hicks, PhD. I was so impressed by Joy’s words that I preferred to quote…
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An Interview with Juliet Cooper, Child Psychologist. {2:30 minutes to read} I recently met with Juliet Cooper, PsyD, a licensed psychologist trained to work with children, teens and their parents, particularly with those families who are experiencing major transitions such as divorce. How do you work with families? Each family dynamic is unique. The challenges…
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{3:54 minutes to read} Brad and his wife Claire had decided to divorce, and Brad paid his attorney a large retainer to file the divorce action. But when he told his wife, she proposed they resolve their divorce through mediation. Brad called me and was wondering whether they could come to mediation even though he…
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{1:36 minutes to read} I was looking back through some of my previous articles and came across a 2-part series that discusses the different approaches some couples take in order to put an agreement in place. As I was reading them again, I thought the insights were worth a revisit. The first one, entitled “Baby Steps,”…
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