Category: Marriage and Relationships

Like collaborative divorce (discussed here) mediation offers an alternative method to resolve disputes between divorcing spouses. In mediation, the couple jointly chooses a neutral party who facilitates negotiations about key decisions like finances, co-parenting, splitting of the assets, etc. Mediators can be mental health or legal professionals who have pursued additional training to earn recognition…

Collaborative divorce emphasizes proactive problem-solving and cooperation. Instead of battling each issue, the spouses hire individual attorneys who then help build a team of professionals who work together to represent the well-being of all involved. The decisions made through collaborative divorce are binding, so you are in control over your family’s fate, not a family…

Much has been written about the importance of a child’s age when deciding how to discuss a divorce and how to best support children through the transition. What follows is a far-from-complete summary of developmental considerations. Babies (Birth to 18 Months): ►Even though language is not available to the youngest children, infants can absolutely sense…

When parents make the agonizing decision to end their marriage, they usually worry about the kids. How do we tell them? What should we expect and how can we help them adjust?” It probably goes without saying that the answers to such questions are largely dependent upon the child’s age. A developmental approach helps us…

Many parents are secretive about their decision to go to marriage counseling. They worry that their children will become more anxious about their parents’ relationship. Often, but not always, children are already very aware of the stress and conflict in their parents’ marriage, even if they have not been told anything AND even when parents…

One would think that statistics about divorce would be pretty straight forward: # of divorces / # of marriages = divorce rate However it’s not that simple, and it’s important to read and interpret online divorce statistics very carefully. Depending on the source, they may be trying to make a point that divorce is VERY…

Views on marriage and the importance of the marital commitment have changed over the decades. In part, it appears that people are less focused on the ethical/moral commitment of the marriage promise. Discernment counseling is grounded in the idea that marital commitment comes with ethical implications. Ginny was asked about ethical considerations in discernment counseling:…

Couples can get into muddy waters when it comes to one person feeling really “off” about their spouse’s “friendship” with someone who could become a romantic partner. This can lead to a lot of fights about what is cheating. Does it have to involve physical contact?  These debates don’t actually sooth anyone: the partner who…