Divorce Coaching, Mediation, Collaborative Divorce, Parenting Coordination, and Expert Testimony

A DIGNIFIED APPROACH TO CONFLICTS; PRESERVING THE RELATIONSHIP.

HOPES AND FEARS ARE ADDRESSED TO FIND OUT WHAT IS UNDERNEATH THE STRUGGLE

Practice Areas

  • DIVORCE/SEPARATION
  • CUSTODY/CHILD SUPPORT
  • PARENTING PLANS
  • CO-PARENTING
  • EXPERT TESTIMONY

I am a professionally trained mediator and collaborative divorce coach. As a mediator and coach, I am a neutral party with no decision-making authority, assisting all of the parties in negotiation to facilitate a resolution. Both are voluntary, confidential, and structured but informal processes where the parties are responsible for their own decisions and control the outcome of their dispute.

Benefits

  • Privacy
  • Saves time money
  • Preserves mental health and well-being
  • Preserves relationships (which is vital if children are involved)
  • You have control and flexibility of the process and outcomes

Divorce coaching is a goal-oriented process designed to support and guide people going through divorce to facilitate the best decisions for their future. Your specific interests, needs, and concern will be discussed as well as how to advocate for yourself during the divorce process. Decisions about financial planning, mental health, custody, visitation, property, and a lot more:

  • Minimizing communication with your lawyer to reduce expense.
  • Use a coach as a thinking partner to lessen the use of family who may have a bias and/or who are not fully aware of what is possible to achieve in the divorce.
  • Organizing paperwork, financial affidavits, discovery requests, and evidence for trial.
  • Evaluating a settlement proposal and offering insight into how orders can have consequences if not followed to avoid future litigation.
  • Guiding a shift in the chaos, sharpen your ability to see, recreating your life after divorce; post-divorce.
  • Litigation, self-representation, coping with your attorney, processing the losses, support with children, dating, and working.
  • Navigate the stress.
  • Teach communication with your Ex.
  • Deal with grief and loss.
  • Restoration from the process
  • Embrace new freedom
  • Rediscover yourself
Random Thoughts Psychotherapy P.C.
Random Thoughts Psychotherapy P.C.

Mediation/collaborative Divorce

  • Mediation and collaborative divorce are non-adversarial processes. In the former, it will consist of myself and the disputing parties involved; in the latter, it will consist of myself, the disputing parties, each of the parties' lawyers, and a financial professional.
  • Mediation is a process that fosters discussion between all disputing parties with my help as a neutral third party. I help you explore your options with the goal of creating a tailored agreement so that all parties can feel satisfied.
  • In a collaborative divorce, all parties sign an agreement pledging that they will work toward a settlement without the use of litigation. The professional team works with the disputing parties to ensure a balanced process that is positive and productive without court intervention.

In my practice, I will focus on hearing what is underneath the conflict, the arguing, and the problems. As we work to create an agreement, I cultivate the human component. Doing so helps both parties define what they want, feel heard, and reach satisfaction, consequently preserving the relationship for a future working alliance. Having an ongoing positive relationship is especially important when children are involved. I keep the process of negotiating moving forward while keeping the best interest of the children in the foreground. I offer emotional support and will teach you about the process before we begin to set expectations.

Here is an Example of the Process of Divorce Mediation:

  • 1. I speak to each person and set up an appointment
  • 2. I meet with each party for a full hour and a half
  • 3. I explain the process
  • 4. I gather information about the children, such as their education, medical and religious goals
  • 5. I gather information about how you view the other parent's relationship with the children
  • 6. I get an understanding of the conflict areas for each of you
  • 7. I collect collateral information such as the name of therapists, medications, and other professionals that would be helpful to the process
  • 8. Your fears and concerns
  • 9. The type of relationship you wish to have after this process is complete
  • 10. Financial and property information

CHOOSING MEDIATION OR COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE TO DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE CAN REDUCE CONFLICT, PRESERVE FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. I HAVE AN EQUAL INTEREST IN THE NEEDS OF BOTH PARTIES. PLEASE CALL ME TO SEE WHICH PROCESS IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

Parenting Coordination / Co-parenting

This small group of parents is not able to settle their child-related disputes in custody mediation, through lawyer-assisted negotiations, or on their own. They turn to litigation in the years following separation and divorce to settle these disputes and utilize disproportionate resources and time of the courts. They are more likely to have significant psychological problems that may interfere with their parenting and expose their children to intense conflict and intimate partner violence. Parenting Coordination is a non-adversarial dispute resolution process that is court-ordered or agreed upon by divorced and separated parents who have an ongoing pattern of high conflict and/or litigation about their children. The underlying goal of the Parenting Coordination intervention is a continuous focus on children's best interests by the Parenting Coordinator (PC) in working with high-conflict parents and in decision-making. Parenting Coordination is designed to help parents implement and comply with court orders or parenting plans, to make timely decisions in a manner consistent with children's developmental and psychological needs, reduce the amount of damaging conflict between caretaking adults to which children are exposed, and diminish the pattern of unnecessary re-litigation about child related issues.

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Random Thoughts Psychotherapy P.C.

Expert Testimony

The testimony of expert witnesses offers statements of concrete facts within their own observation, knowledge, and recollection. Testimony must normally state facts perceived by the witnesses' use of their own senses, as distinguished from their opinions, inferences, impressions, and conclusions drawn from the facts. Expert witnesses are persons who are qualified, either by actual experience or by careful study, to form definite opinions with respect to a division of science, a branch of art, or a department of trade.

In my practice, I have been hired to look through evidence such as emails, texts, and doctor's notes, speak with collaterals and sometimes interview both individuals to educate the judge about narcissistic abuse or domestic violence that has taken place and how that impacts custody.

  • Mediation and collaborative divorce are non-adversarial processes. In the former, it will consist of myself and the disputing parties involved; in the latter, it will consist of myself, the disputing parties, each of the parties' lawyers, and a financial professional.
  • Mediation is a process that fosters discussion between all disputing parties with my help as a neutral third party. I help you explore your options with the goal of creating a tailored agreement so that all parties can feel satisfied.
  • In a collaborative divorce, all parties sign an agreement pledging that they will work toward a settlement without the use of litigation. The professional team works with the disputing parties to ensure a balanced process that is positive and productive without court intervention.

In my practice, I will focus on hearing what is underneath the conflict, the arguing, and the problems. As we work to create an agreement, I cultivate the human component. Doing so helps both parties define what they want, feel heard, and reach satisfaction, consequently preserving the relationship for a future working alliance. Having an ongoing positive relationship is especially important when children are involved. I keep the process of negotiating moving forward while keeping the best interest of the children in the foreground. I offer emotional support and will teach you about the process before we begin to set expectations.

Here is an Example of the Process of Divorce Mediation:

  • 1. I speak to each person and set up an appointment
  • 2. I meet with each party for a full hour and a half
  • 3. I explain the process
  • 4. I gather information about the children, such as their education, medical and religious goals
  • 5. I gather information about how you view the other parent's relationship with the children
  • 6. I get an understanding of the conflict areas for each of you
  • 7. I collect collateral information such as the name of therapists, medications, and other professionals that would be helpful to the process
  • 8. Your fears and concerns
  • 9. The type of relationship you wish to have after this process is complete
  • 10. Financial and property information

CHOOSING MEDIATION OR COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE TO DISSOLVE YOUR MARRIAGE CAN REDUCE CONFLICT, PRESERVE FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. I HAVE AN EQUAL INTEREST IN THE NEEDS OF BOTH PARTIES. PLEASE CALL ME TO SEE WHICH PROCESS IS RIGHT FOR YOU.