For some people, thinking about what your life will look like after the divorce is a dream. For some, it’s a nightmare.  Some divorcing people focus on the freedom of not being tied to the other anymore. Some will focus on not being able to live without the other one anymore.

Thinking about what you want your life to look like post-divorce is a critical step during your divorce process.  So before you begin the divorce process, you should take the time to dream.  If you cannot envision what that looks like without it being a nightmare, then you need professional help.  That’s what your attorney’s for.  Now, your attorney is not a Jeannie in a bottle, but your ancillary divorce professionals can help you see and achieve your wishes during the process.

During the collaborative process, we often have a mental health professional, a financial professional, and sometimes a child specialist to guide us through the peaks and valley of the divorce process.  These professionals help both parties in the divorce process to see past the present turmoil, the present uncertainty, and the present fog.  The new vision isn’t always a great dream, but it’s also not usually the nightmare you’ve been so fearful of.

The neutral professionals also help deal with the children’s issues that arise.  If needed, a separate child specialist can even be included with the team to visit, counsel, and guide the children of divorcing parents to cope and continue their growth in a healthy way.

There’s never a perfect moment to pursue a divorce, but the collaborative process can ease that awkwardness and conflict associated with this stressful time.  If you are considering a divorce, you’ll definitely want to consider doing it collaboratively.