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Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County

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Divorce Options

Discover Your Divorce Options in Orange County at July 20 Workshop

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Lessen the stress of divorce (Costa Mesa, California) – Divorce is difficult and stressful even under the best of circumstances. It can be especially hard if you have children. Divorce affects people from all walks of life, and no two situations are alike.

It is possible despite challenges to preserve the emotional and financial resources of the family while respecting everyone’s needs during a divorce. Learn about your alternatives at “Divorce Options.” The first “Divorce Options” workshop in Orange County takes place on Wednesday, July 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, California. To register for Divorce Options at Orange Coast College:  
Call (714) 432-5880  Extension 1 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
– OR –
Visit the Orange Coast College website here, click on Search, then enter “Divorce Options.”

For additional information, call Divorce Options at (949) 266-0660 or email at collaborativedivorceOC@gmail.com 

Divorce Options provides unbiased information about self-representation, mediation, collaborative divorce, and litigated divorce. The workshop deals with the legal, financial, family and personal issues of divorce in an informational and compassionate small group setting.

Led by a family law attorney, financial specialist, and mental health professional who are members of Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County, the workshop will cover the full range of choices couples have as they contemplate divorce, focusing on the non-adversarial, out-of-court options.

“People have so many questions about divorce and it’s difficult to get answers about the options for your personal situation,” said Tracy McKenney, CFP, CDFA and Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County president. “The Divorce Options program presents an opportunity for the public to learn about their choices and the resources available for a divorce process respecting the needs and interests of all family members. Becoming more knowledgeable can go a long way to ease the anxiety about your divorce, and allows you to take control of your future,” said McKenney.

McKenney said the Divorce Options program is useful to anyone thinking about divorce or other relationship transitions including LGBT couples or domestic partners with children looking for a process aware and respectful of their unique needs.

Topics include:

  • The risks and benefits of three models: litigation, mediation and Collaborative Divorce
  • The legal, financial, psychological and social issues of divorce
  • How to talk about divorce with your children – no matter their age
  • Guidance from legal, financial, and mental health experts

Gaining an understanding of the different process options available will help couples make good decisions during this difficult and challenging time. Divorce Options is a workshop designed to help couples take their next step, no matter where they are in the process. It identifies strategies to help couples stay out of court when feasible, and helps you identify the personal issues most pressing for you. There is no solicitation of business.

If you are interested in scheduling a Divorce Options workshop for your group or organization, contact us at 949-266-0660 to learn more. About Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County

Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County (CDSOC) was founded in 2003 to advise couples in Orange County and in Southern California about out of court options to traditional divorce litigation. Our group consists of experienced family law attorneys, licensed mental health professionals, and credentialed financial professionals, all of whom are specially trained in Collaborative practice, mediation, and conflict resolution. Working under the Collaborative Practice model, the result is a divorce guided with respect and compassion in a non-adversarial way so families can make the best possible decisions about their future.

CDSOC is online at https://cdsoc.com/, and Facebook.

Recovering From the Fog of Divorce

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by Leslee J. Newman, CFL-S, Family Law Attorney

Members of Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Orange County had a wonderful opportunity to train with Vicki Carpel Miller and Ellie Izzo, Collaborative mental health professionals from Scottsdale, Arizona. Miller and Izzo discussed how people going through divorce are often in a “fog” of confusion and paralysis. Our job as competent and compassionate Collaborative professionals is to help each of the spouses to “recover” through what we hope will be a transformative process through Collaborative Practice.

How does this happen? By the use of a cohesive and skilled team of Collaborative professionals—attorneys, mental health, and financial professionals– who can alert you, educate you, and bring you out of the chaos and into the sunlight.  This can be done by identifying the different phases of transition and encourage the following stages of recovery:

Recovery Mode: Burned out, over stimulated. Trying to be productive is hard. Transition by focusing on the basics like adequate sleep, water, exercise, the comfort of friends, etc.

You have a little bit more energy but still hard to focus.  Start by creating new experiences in your life by meeting new people, learning something new, and reaching out to others you haven’t seen in a while.  Novelty will help to stimulate you

Work Mode: Start to fix, clean, organize and maintain.  The energy is starting to recover as you catch up with work and tasks that you’ve let slide.

Self Mode: Start to think about yourself, your values, beliefs, and interests.  Start to make decisions that are best for the long term even if those decisions are hard to make.

Flow Mode: By now you should have identified at least one interest that you are ready to pour your soul, time, and energy into developing something bigger than  yourself.

People Mode: Repair important relationships and have necessary and difficult conversations with friends, relatives, and colleagues.

Gold Mode: You’ve developed a positive outflow of energy as you have solidified goals, relationships, your work, and your values.  You are feeling much more resilient  and your energy to concentrate has been restored.  You are now open to switching modes when faced with future random events.

Have you faced a previous crisis in your life, or family transition like divorce, which led you from a “fog” to strength.  If so, please share.

The Gray Divorce

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by Leslee J. Newman, CFLS, Family Law Attorney

Although divorce rates in the United States have seen a decrease in the last decade, divorce rates for couples over 50 have doubled. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, in 2010, one out of every 20 people in the U.S. who divorced was over the age of 65!   Now, with the retirement of the “Baby Boom” generation (persons born between 1946 and 1967), the numbers of divorcing seniors is expected to escalate.  This phenomenon is often referred to as “gray divorce.”

Some reasons for this increase in gray divorce include the following:

  • There’s no longer a social stigma for seniors divorcing.
  • Seniors are living longer and are generally healthier.
  • Our culture promotes happiness.

A few years ago, a Chicago area billboard advertised divorce with a message that life was too short to be miserable.

Are you a senior and contemplating divorce? Have you helped a parent, colleague or friend who was in their 50s, 60s, or older get through their divorce? Does it make sense financially for a senior married couple to divorce?