Collaborative Practice
for Divorce
for Divorce
Online Custody, Visitation
Mediation and Teletherapy
This site is about Collaborative Practice
as an internal and external process,
for the spouses and for the family of divorce.
Conflict Resolution is a process, not a destination.
It involves both the external discussions and negotiations between spouses, as well as the internal shifts within each person as they absorb, adapt, adjust to the powerful emotions and changing circumstances of couple and family life.
This is a blog about moving through the process, from both the personal and the professional perspective.
Watch the video below to
learn about Collaborative Divorce
Collaborative Practice | Mediation
Seven Guidelines for Parents Who Are Divorce/Separated and Sharing Custody of Children During the COVID19 Pandemic
by AFCC and AAML March 2020 Leaders from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and AFCC have released guidelines for co-parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven Guidelines for Parents Who Are Divorce/Separated and Sharing Custody of Children During the COVID19 Pandemic 1. BE HEALTHY. Comply with all CDC and
When Mental Health Professionals Need to Testify
What to do when called to court By Allison Bell Psy.D. LINK Most psychotherapy is done in the quiet of an office, talking about what is going on, and how to make things better. Yet, mental health professionals also are confronted with more difficult issues from time to time. And,
Cognitive Bias Codex
Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist
The Good Divorce
Clients often want to know what makes for a “good divorce”. They instinctively know that keeping their children front and center in their divorce process will make for a better outcome for everyone in the family. However, few people seem able to articulate the stages of a process that yields
Another Adventure in Post-Divorce Parenting
Once again, we found ourselves at Terminal 4, in the evening hustle and bustle of international departures at JFK. Another year, and another trip our daughter was taking to study abroad, this time heading into a war-torn conflict zone. We began with a farewell dinner together, the three of us
Relationship Polar Vortex
It's a New Year, and the "Polar Vortex" is upon us all. Really. The entire country is submerged in Arctic air. It's warmer in Antarctica than in Minnesota. It's an upside-down world. Relationships, too, move from hot to cold, sometimes in a matter of moments. Communication fails, emotion erupts, we
Emotion 2 Motion
Body Language at Work
Michele Gargan, PsyD Susan thinks Jack is a space cadet. Jack thinks Susan is a control freak. Elaine thinks Mary is indecisive. Mary thinks Elaine is impulsive. Fred overwhelms people with his presence. Nobody ever notices Charlie. How did Susan, Jack, Elaine and Mary come to these judgments? What is
Body Language from the Inside Out: A movement workshop
by Allison Bell, Psy.D and Michele Gargan, Psy.D Have you ever noticed that the language that we use to express some of our strongest feeling states and reactions makes reference to the body? “I have a gut reaction to that” “My boss is a pain in the neck/butt/ass” “I feel
Moving and Grooving on the Dance Floor
You've heard of this thing called contra dancing and you find yourself at the Guiding Star Grange, having also heard that this is the Mecca of contra groove. Maybe you're a newbie, uncertain if you have rhythm, if you can count and walk and listen all at the same time.
Think with your body: Moving as communication
By Allison Bell Dancing at the Guiding Star Grange is about participating in the link between past and present. It is revival and survival, keeping traditions alive while interweaving them with new spirit and creativity. It is about renewal and release, relaxation and rejoining in the sense of community that
Shared Weight
Parenting requires shared weight too, the weight of responsibility, whether it's running errands, covering for the other parent while they attend to something else imperative, the share of an agreement or an exchange. The most wonderful parenting moments occur when you can feel at ease in the shared aspect of the role, when you know the other parent can be relied upon, counted on to bear an equitable share of the weight of the task.
The Body Knows Trauma
Long before we can speak, we are observers, receivers of the movements and intentions of others. Though unable to express ourselves in words, we still codify our experiences and have the capacity to recollect them vividly, all the more so once language develops. A client helps me to remember that