christian marriage counseling

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Collaborative Divorce

By Moses Wright

Though divorce is often full of emotional conflict, the process of a collaborative divorce fosters an attitude of cooperation between the divorcing spouses. The goal of a collaborative divorce is to reach a settlement that both parties approve and that is in the best interest of any children involved.

Both divorcing spouses have to have a desire to enter to process with honesty regarding assets and with a willingness to cooperate for a collaborative divorce to work. Collaborative divorces are beneficial to spouses who want to maintain contact, remain friends, or maintain civility for the sake of their children.

Lawyers are still used in a collaborative divorce process. Many times, other professionals are used as well. The process may involve the use of divorce coaches or mediators, financial experts, and a professional specializing in children. Other professionals, such as appraisers, may be utilized as necessary.

These professionals help the divorcing spouses reach a fair divorce agreement through honest information and respectful communication. Some of the professionals will help the divorcing spouses understand how the divorce agreement will affect them. Financial plans and parenting plans may be devised.

If children are involved, a parenting plan is used to address custody, visitation, and any other parental concerns. These plans may help prevent future conflicts between divorced spouses.

Court litigation is avoided with this type of divorce. The goal is to resolve disagreements with respectful communication and integrity with the use of mediators. Once an agreement is reached, both divorcing spouses sign the agreement which makes it a contract.

A collaborative divorce can be expensive. The professionals used during this process typically charge by the hour. The collaborative divorce process, costs, and resulting agreement vary for each case.

The ability of both divorcing spouses to be directly involved in creating agreements that are customized to meet the unique needs of the family involved is one of the benefits of a collaborative divorce. Divorcing parents and other divorcing spouses may want to consider this alternative process of divorce.

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