The “Four Horsemen” is a Biblical term, which is sometimes used in our modern day vernacular to mean something destructive. In divorce and family law cases, one of the greatest challenges we face in negotiations is that people in close relationships often treat each other less kindly during negotiations than they would if they were negotiating with complete strangers. Why? Because … [Read more...]
A Long, Expensive, and Continuing Saga: Celebrities Who Died Without A Will
I have written before about the sad loss that families and estates suffer when a person dies without a Will. In August, 2018, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, died, surprisingly, without a Will to determine how her $80 million estate would be divided. And last I heard, the drama surrounding the distribution of her estate is still going on. But she is not the only celebrity, who … [Read more...]
Tools Available for Children Going Through Divorce – January is Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month
Parents going through divorce often ask me about resources available to help their children. Here are a few resources that my clients have found beneficial when they and their family are going through divorce. Sesame Street – The Committe for Children has been a resource for all the years since Sesame Street became a part of our culture. It is no wonder that they are leaders in getting … [Read more...]
January is Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month: Books for You and Your Children To Thrive Through Divorce
As most of my time for the past 35 years has been spent helping families going through divorce, including parents, step-parents, children, grandparents and extended families, I have an opportunity to read and review countless books on the subject. Here are just a few that I have read or had recommended to me that might be of interest to you or someone you know going through, considering going … [Read more...]
January is Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month
Do Children of Divorce Need Counseling? In my practice, I regularly suggest counseling for the children of parents in conflict because, when the parents are so embroiled in their own conflict or pain, they are sometimes unable to recognize their children’s emotional needs in the way that they need to. When any of us are in deep conflict or pain, we revert to our more primal reactions … [Read more...]
Getting “Unstuck” from the Emotions of Divorce
It is so easy to get stuck in the emotions of divorce or other loss, whether it be the death of a loved one or even a position in life, like loss of a job. Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen Clinics, who has done significant work on brain studies that have resulted in the SPECT brain technology that has helped with Traumatic Brain Injuries, explains that getting “stuck” in an emotion is a result of … [Read more...]
Divorce Rate Down in 2019
Terry Gaspard, an MSW, LICSW, is a family therapist who regularly blogs about family law matters. She said in her blog, "The Changing Dynamics of Marriage: Statistics for 2019," that she recently attended the National Association for Relationship and Marriage Education Summit, where she heard a presentation by Dr. Scott Stanley, a psychological professor with the University of Denver. Dr. … [Read more...]
Collaborative Divorce – The Opportunity to Discern
One of the things I love most about the Collaborative Divorce process is that it gives clients the opportunity to reflect and discern if the decisions they are making are the best for themselves and their children. So often, when clients go to court and “settle their case on the courthouse steps,” so to speak, they are doing in while facing an imminent hearing or trial. It also happens … [Read more...]
Your “Smart” Options for Security During a Divorce
In today’s world of technology, a common question (or it should be) from clients going through a divorce is: what is my risk with electronic devices? That usually is a question that pops up because the client has done something they are concerned about or their spouse has done something they feel has violated their rights to privacy. The State Bar of Texas published an article in this … [Read more...]
How to Talk About a Pre-Nuptial Agreement: Just Ask Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart and Marriage Amelia Earhart has been in the news in the past few months because of news that she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, may not have been lost in the sea, but rather crashed on the Marshall Islands, been captured and died while imprisoned. As an early female aviator, Amelia Earhart is best known for being the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and … [Read more...]
