Once upon a time, politicians got elected and then found ways to work together to govern their towns, counties, states, and countries constructively. Life was good. Then an evil magician poisoned the nation’s atmosphere. Politicians became more interested in placing blame and making others look bad than in doing anything useful. The people followed […]

  I have lost count of the sad, sad stories I have heard about people who tried mediation but failed to reach an agreement. Sometimes I get really angry at one or both lawyers involved in the case for using tactics that intensify fear and anger in the clients. The increased conflict does a lot

by Ed Farber, Ph.D. To your child only two things about divorce are good: double birthday presents and double holidays.  Parents manage the holidays after separation and divorce in many different ways. Some alternate years —Thanksgiving with father in even-numbered years and with mother in odd-numbered years. If Thanksgiving is with mother, then Christmas Day is

  by Guest Author Sonja Aoun Choosing a lawyer to represent you in a divorce can be overwhelming. In addition to the more obvious factors to consider, such as experience or whether the attorney was referred to you by someone whose judgment you trust, here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Your lawyer

COVID-19 Note: Mediation services are also available online. by Guest Author Robert E. Emery, Ph.D. Divorced parents still must fulfill their responsibilities to their kids, and in my view, children should have rights in divorced families. Here is my Children’s Bill of Rights in Divorce. If you can give your children these freedoms, you will

    A question for separated, divorced, and never-married parents: What kinds of holiday memories are you creating for your children? Joyful, generous, grateful celebrations in two households? Parents squabbling over who gets the kids when? Bitter diatribes about how awful the other parent is?   Most kids love both parents. They do not want to

    Recently I read about some informal research conducted by an Australian woman who cared for patients during the last three months of their lives. She was a good listener, so the patients told her what they wished they had done differently before developing illnesses that would end their lives. The top five regrets

People need to know about the huge difference between real, ethical, early or middle or late mediation and the service that groups of retired judges offer, which they erroneously call mediation. What they do is NOT mediation. Mislabelling the service they provide confuses the public. That’s bad, because most divorcing couples would benefit greatly from

by Virginia L Colin, Ph.D. During the current covid pandemic, some parents who intended to part ways soon must postpone their separation. Income has decreased a lot, so supporting two households is suddenly not possible. Everyone in the family is likely to be feeling the stress. Being trapped in a house with someone you intend

by guest author Bill Eddy Rather than talking to the kids about a “high-conflict” co-parent (and you should never use that term around the children), talk about “four big skills for life.” These skills are: • flexible thinking • managing emotions • moderate behaviors • checking ourselves to see if we’re using these skills regularly