Collaborative Professionals

Collaborative professionals are a diverse group of specialists who work together or independently to support clients navigating the complexities of family law, particularly during divorce and custody disputes. This collaborative approach includes various roles, each contributing unique expertise to facilitate a more amicable resolution outside of traditional court proceedings.

Typically, a collaborative team comprises:

• Collaborative Lawyers: These attorneys are trained in the collaborative process and are dedicated to helping their clients reach mutually beneficial agreements without resorting to litigation. They focus on open communication and negotiation, prioritizing the needs of all parties involved.
• Mediators: Mediators assist in facilitating discussions between disputing parties. They help identify common goals and explore creative solutions, ensuring that both sides feel heard and respected during the negotiation process.
• Child Specialists: Often included in collaborative teams, child specialists focus on the needs and well-being of the children involved. They provide insights into child development and help parents understand how their decisions may impact their children, guiding them toward solutions that prioritize the children’s best interests.
• Divorce Coaches: An emerging role in collaborative practice, divorce coaches support clients emotionally and strategically throughout the divorce process. They help clients manage the stress and emotional turmoil often accompanying divorce, enabling them to communicate more effectively and make informed decisions.

This collaborative model promotes a more positive and constructive approach to conflict resolution, emphasizing cooperation and mutual respect. By addressing the emotional, legal, and practical aspects of family disputes, collaborative professionals aim to reduce the adversarial nature of traditional litigation, allowing families to find solutions that work for everyone involved. Through their combined efforts, collaborative teams strive to foster healthier co-parenting relationships and create a more stable environment for children during and after the divorce process.

While many individuals express a desire to end their marriage in a respectful and cooperative manner, starting with collaborative lawyers to maintain a civil and non-adversarial approach, it’s crucial to recognize that this framework can sometimes be exploited. One party may push the other into collaborative services not out of genuine goodwill, but as a strategy to delay litigation or to test the waters for negotiations that heavily favor their self-serving interests.

Sometimes during the start of a collaborative divorce, one party may mask a hidden agenda, making it challenging to achieve a truly fair outcome. Although collaborative lawyers work only with parties who mutually agree to avoid litigation, one side may still attempt to use deceptive tactics that can be as difficult to detect as a dissociative disorder—especially if you don’t know what to look for.

By taking the continuing education workshops at www.adolescentdissociativedisorders.com, collaborative professionals not only have an opportunity to enroll in the network providers established by Goldberg & Associates but also become better equipped to recognize when one party is hiding manipulative tactics under a guise of cooperation. This insight enables collaborative professionals of all types to suggest specific provisions, which help maintain the integrity of the settlement process and ensure that agreements are fair and equitable for both parties.

Let’s discuss some examples of deceptive tactics in collaborative divorce. One party may instruct their lawyer to ignore certain parts of a parenting plan that would be better left unmentioned, or they might request that their lawyer take the lead in drafting the plan and presenting it to the other party. This situation is akin to a judge ordering a lawyer to write up a court order. When the order is presented to the other party, it may contain issues, such as missing important details or using language that favors one side.

When collaborative lawyers and their teams create a parenting plan, they often use standard templates for many sections, which is a sensible approach. However, they might avoid including tie-breaking mechanisms—rules for resolving disagreements—especially when they sense that the parties may struggle to agree on important issues related to their children. Instead, it would be more effective to take proactive steps to address potential areas of disagreement and develop a plan to avoid future court disputes. For example, when the parties cannot reach an agreement, they should consider binding arbitration as a faster and less expensive alternative to going to court.

The role of a child specialist is typically filled by a mental health professional. However, many of these specialists may lack the training or expertise to understand complex child and adolescent conditions, how they develop, and how visible certain symptoms are to the trained eyes and ears of an expert. It is crucial for these specialists to acquire the necessary continuing education, especially since parents may be unaware of what these symptoms might indicate.

Often, the symptoms of dissociation can be misleading, as they might not reveal the real underlying diagnosis affecting the child. For example, children with dissociative disorders can also have other conditions, known as comorbidities. One such comorbidity is called non-suicidal self-injuring disorder (NSSID), which can manifest as actions like cutting or scratching the skin until it bleeds, as well as eating disorders. Even conditions like ADHD can sometimes be misdiagnosed when the more accurate diagnosis remains unrecognized.

How should a child specialist make a difference when they identify these issues during the collaborative process? It is essential for them to recognize the potential complexities involved and to suggest appropriate interventions or referrals to other professionals who can provide specialized support. A proactive approach not only addresses the immediate concerns but also helps create a more comprehensive support system for the family.

Where can child specialists and other collaborative professionals find the necessary resources to comply with the ethical and professional standards required to work with this ambiguous population, which may present red flags and questionable motivations? These families might be seeking to reduce conflicts while simultaneously grappling with underlying issues that can manifest invisibly and worsen over time. Goldberg & Associates offers a wealth of resources, including continuing education and consulting services, to help professionals enhance their skills. Additionally, Family Law Resources provides further opportunities for professional development and support, enabling practitioners to better serve their clients.