High Conflict Divorce

What Everyone In A High-Conflict Divorce Wants Their Family Law and Mental Health Professionals To Know

A few years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow sent “conscious uncoupling” and “conscious co-parenting” into the zeitgeist when she separated from her husband Chris Martin. Her widely-publicized mission to divorce and co-parent with dignity ignited a conversation about what the terms “conscious uncoupling” and “conscious co-parenting” mean, and how to practice them. While she set a good…

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The One Thing Everyone Going Through High-Conflict Divorce Must Do

Some time ago I asked a prominent divorce attorney, who had the reputation of being a terrorist, to tell me the top piece of advice she gave to clients undergoing high-conflict divorces. I thought she would respond with something about forensic accountants, or how to get sole custody, or the ever-popular “document, document, document.” But…

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Can’t Co-Parent With Your Hostile Ex? Try This Strategy Instead

In a good-enough divorce, exes work through feelings of anger, betrayal and loss and arrive at a place of acceptance. Frustrations over the other parent’s values and choices are contained and pushed aside, making space for the Holy Grail of post-divorce life: effective co-parenting. Co-parenting is possible only when both exes support their children’s need…

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What Therapists Don’t Tell You About Divorcing A High-Conflict Personality

Therapists are trained to help clients become self-aware and authentic. For people who grew up in invalidating environments, where they learned to suppress their feelings and needs in order to be accepted, therapy can be life-altering. Competent therapists who provide a corrective emotional experience can make it possible for people who never had a voice…

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