February 3, 2023
By: Tanya Prioste, Chuck Amital and Lauren Greenberg Wanderman
A Collaborative Divorce is comprised of a team of professionals to help with the three pillars of a divorce: legal, emotional, and financial. To help on the legal side, there’s a lawyer; to help on the emotional side, there’s a mental health professional (called a Coach in this setting); to help on the financial side, there’s a financial specialist, usually a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA). A Collaborative Divorce is the only process specifically designed to help clients with each of these three pillars, recognizing that divorce is essentially an emotional process with legal and financial consequences.
You may be asking, “Do we need so many people to help us get divorced?” No, you don’t “need” an interdisciplinary team to get divorced, but you may want one to help you process, manage, and get through one of the most stressful and impactful events you will ever go through. With the interdisciplinary team, you are getting 360-degree support with one of the most significant events of your life.
You also may be asking, “Isn’t this expensive with all of these team members?” There is expense involved in having a team, but there is usually added value – not to mention added efficiency — in having the right professional to help with the right task. Each team member stays within his or her area of expertise to provide guidance on his or her particular role. Nevertheless, the Collaborative team works together for the benefit of the couple and the family, striving to provide guidance and support for robust information gathering, analysis, and educated decision-making.
You can get through a divorce without an interdisciplinary team; however, you may feel better in the end and get through the process better with the support of an interdisciplinary team.
