Collaborative Divorce is truly a team effort.
Both spouses have their own Collaborative attorney, as well as counsel from neutral professionals in Mental Health and Financial Planning.
Why is the whole team critical to success? Because divorce is more than a single legal transaction. It’s a whole-life change. That means divorcing couples need assistance with three significant needs: emotional, financial and legal.
Successful 360° support is made possible by one crucial element – neutrality. The “neutrals” can ask tough questions in joint meetings without driving clients to defensiveness. Although clients may not always agree with the neutral professional’s opinion they understand that there’s no hidden agenda. So they’re able to more openly consider the advice.
The power of neutrality can make a significant difference in obtaining the best possible outcome and preventing impasse.
Here’s what the Neutral Professionals on the Collaborative Team provide:
Neutral Mental Health Professional. Extreme emotions are not uncommon in divorce. Acting on them, however, is destructive and counter-productive. Your Collaborative Mental Health professional facilitates communication among all participants, maintains behavioral boundaries in joint meetings, assists clients in expressing their true interests, and if children are involved works directly with the clients outside of joint meetings to develop a parenting plan.
Neutral Financial Planning Professional. Understanding the implications, short-term and long, of financial agreements is vital to quality of life after the divorce. Your Collaborative Financial Planning professional gathers and analyzes financial data, educates clients on financial issues, and assists in the development of settlement options to assure both parties are fully informed and actually discussing fiscal realities.
Even though Collaborative Divorce involves more professionals in the process, it generally proves less costly than litigated divorce. Trial, after all, is the most expensive way to resolve disputes.
By assuring comprehensive needs are met during the divorce, the Collaborative Process helps couples retain control of their own destinies, effectively and efficiently, rather than handng control over to the courts.
