Divorce doesn’t have to be a traumatic process according to practitioners of collaborative divorce.
Collaborative Divorce
Collaborative divorce approaches the divorce process from a different place – a place where you can avoid the court system while putting negotiations and decisions into the hands of the spouses. By utilizing specially trained professionals, opuses are able to come to a decision together.
Collaborative Divorce v. Mediation
Collaborative divorce should not be confused with mediation. In mediation, a couple works with one neutral party. But in collaborative divorce, each spouse has their own team of professionals – including their own attorney, financial advisors, etc. Both spouses and their respective teams meet to identify issues and create solutions. The time it takes to work through the process is heavily dependent on the issues that need to be worked out. The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals did a survey on the duration of the process and found 58 percent of collaborative divorce cases were completed in less than nine months.
Professionals
The types of professionals you will need for your collaborative divorce team will vary based on the specifics of your divorce. Professionals may include:
- financial neutrals
- child specialists
- mental health professionals
- business valuators
- real estate evaluators
This team can help you emerge with a solid footing following your divorce. “You can tell who’s gone through the collaborative process vs. litigation,” said Amy Wolff, a specialist in the financial issues associated with divorce. “The clients who have used the collaborative option emerge from the process more ready to focus; they can bounce back more quickly.” Approaching divorce with the mindset of it being “collaborative” can help ease the tensions surrounding the divorce process.
Source: CNBC, Collaborative divorce can ease emotional, economic stress, May 2, 2014
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