Mental Health Practitioners serve special functions in the collaborative process. They are trained and experienced in collaboration reducing conflict, finding bridges and generating solutions that work for ALL parties involved, each divorcing partner and child. An annual peer review and certification process ensures that each practitioner has met the following minimum expectations: is licensed and in good standing in his/her profession, has current malpractice insurance, has experience with family court, and has special training and experience in his/her area of specialty.
Mental Health Practitioners serve in several capacities to assist a process where all voices are heard.
As a COACH a practitioner works only during the divorce and will:
• Identify with each divorcing partner issues both individually and within the marital relationship that may lead to barriers to the collaborative process
• Provide support and for each divorcing partner to facilitate solid participation in the process with attorneys, financial consultants and each other
• Provide support and information to other professional team members in the collaborative process around relevant mental health issues that may create barriers to that process
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in communication styles among participating parties, and if needed, teach more effective skills
As a SPECIALIST, a practitioner works only during the divorce and provides specific input in areas of disability determination, chemical dependency evaluation, psychiatric evaluation, psychological assessment, evaluation of child(ren)s needs, etc. All specialists share the following role:
• Help collaborative team mediate discrepancies in plans between parents
• Identify issues that may be barring this process so that coach(es) can assist their clients working through them
• Provide specific evaluations to help further the divorce process and recommend treatment as needed
In addition, a CHILD SPECIALIST is a practitioner who has special knowledge and expertise in working with children and will:
• Assess the child(ren)s emotional adjustment and emotional needs
• Provide parent education on the current and potential impact of divorce on their child(ren), including the need for connection with both parents
• Help parents develop skills to co-parent to the degree possible
• Identify initial aims of each parent around their ideas for living arrangements of their child(ren)
• Provide education and feedback to parents about their approach to and expectations for their child(ren)s reactions to divorce given developmental levels, nature and history of parental conflict, existing relationships between each parent and child(ren)
• Help parents develop appropriate and feasible structure for general living arrangements, vacations, right of first refusal, etc.
A practitioner in a SUPPORTING role is involved with one or both divorcing partners, child(ren), and/or the family in an on-going way, during and after the divorce. A practitioner may be involved by referral for on-going therapy for an individual or family to address specific therapeutic needs identified during the collaborative process.