Separation & Divorce

Some marriages can’t survive conflict or partners growing apart. The decision that your marriage is over is perhaps the most difficult decision that you will make in your life. The first step to ensuring that the process is as smooth and painless as possible is to work to make your divorce a transition instead of a trauma. To do this, partners must agree to open and fair communication and cooperation. Understanding, managing and coping with the emotional turmoil that characterizes separation and divorce often requires professional consultation.

Therapy for divorce or separation can help couples better achieve the dissolution of the marriage in a healthy, constructive fashion. The therapist can act as a mediator and set guidelines to ensure that the divorce is achieved with minimal hostility and emotional damage. Separation and divorce counseling can be helpful in sorting through the many decisions that need to be made. Therapists can help address pertinent issues, such as living arrangements, financial obligations, and parenting responsibilities.

The public admission of the failure of a relationship can be accompanied by strong emotions such as sadness, disappointment, despair and anger. It can be helpful to process these with an experienced counselor to reduce conflict, improve communication between partners and to pave the way for cooperative.

The discovery of an affair or betrayal can leave a partner feeling they have no option but to separate. Dealing openly with these issues in couples counseling can help partners either decide that the relationship can be salvaged or that permanent separation is appropriate. In either scenario, couples are often best served by engaging in treatment and dealing with the realities of their situation in productive ways.

Problems that may benefit from Divorce or Separation Counseling:

• Destructive Communication
• Parenting Conflicts
• Inability to Set Boundaries
• Difficulty Transitioning from Married to Single
• Managing Emotions from Infidelity/Betrayal

Maintaining the integrity of each member of the family during this emotionally chaotic process is very important. The end of a marriage does not mean the end of a family or a friendship — it can continue on in a different form after a divorce.

Divorce recovery is a process. Adjusting to changes that occur as a result of a divorce can take time. Therapy for divorce and separation can provide a safe, encouraging, and empowering experience during what is often one of the most difficult times in people’s lives.