Collaborative divorce is a unique approach to divorce resolution focused on avoiding litigation and creating the best possible outcome for both parties. In this approach, couples often work with a team of experts in addition to their respective attorneys, including mental health coaches, financial advisers and child specialists.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Californians across the state have begun to embrace the concept. In addition to avoiding court, collaborative divorce can help couples to save time and money while coping with an often emotionally charged process. Here are four reasons collaborative divorce makes sense for couples who want to get through the process with dignity and respect.
- Emotional support
Working closely with a mental health coach or divorce therapist can be crucial for maintaining open, honest communication. These professionals try to help couples to work through emotional issues, identify their needs and ultimately make an informed, rational decision.
- Financial advice
The division of property and issues of spousal or child support are often at the forefront of divorce resolution. Couples who choose collaborative divorce may have the opportunity to work with a financial specialist who can help find an accounting solution that makes sense for both parties.
- Helping children cope
Even an amicable divorce can have a profound emotional impact on a couple’s children. An attorney who specializes in collaborative divorce may introduce clients to a child therapist with divorce counseling expertise. Providing this type of emotional support may help children better understand what is happening and work through feelings of anxiety, sadness or anger.
- Unique solutions
One of the biggest reasons couples turn to the collaborative divorce process is that it empowers them to come up with creative solutions. During traditional divorce litigation, court orders often have rigid, uncompromising outcomes defined by the law. Collaboration may be the best way to find a resolution that fits a couples’ unique circumstances.
Ideally, the process should be about building a path forward. While a collaborative divorce may not work in every situation, in many cases this solution-based approach may help each party to move on to the next chapter in life while maintaining mutual respect.