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Press Release

Divorce Coaches Help Couples Through Emotional Process
June 28, 2001

Calabasas, California -- In the heat of divorce, it's easy for emotions to take over when husbands and wives try to negotiate the separation of family, finances, housing, and memories. Often emotion gets in the way and divorces linger on for years, causing mental and physical health problems and damage to the surrounding family members. Recently "Divorce Coaches" have entered the fray, helping divorcing couples work out their differences in a supportive environment. The Coalition for Cooperative Divorce, a multi-disciplinary, non-profit organization dedicated to keeping divorce out of court, uses Divorce Coaches to help identify the underlying issues and help divorcing couples get on with their lives.

Wendy Gregson and Tom Archbald, Marriage and Family Therapists, who are also Divorce Coaches, say there are divorces in which coaching, rather than therapy, is the best solution. According to Gregson, "There have been some situations where, because there's so much rage on the part of the divorcing parties, it is impossible to keep the situation under control using therapy." Divorce Coaching works because each Coach meets with his or her client separately until they understand that client's needs and wants. Both clients must give the coaches permission to discuss the case together in preparation for joint meetings. Then, all four parties come together: the wife and her coach, and the husband and his coach, to discuss the issues. During the meeting the coaches occasionally speak for their respective client and coach them to express their needs and their feelings. The wife and husband feel that they have the full support and understanding of their coach, and they are apt to be more open and relaxed. The result is better communication, less "adversarial-ness," and increased trust in the fairness of the process.

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Wendy Gregson is a Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo. She can be reached at (805) 446-6324 or at gregson.4@juno.com.

Tom Archbald is a Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Camarillo. Contact Tom at (805) 987-3162 or newbeginnings155@msn.com.

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The Coalition for Collaborative Divorce was founded in 1998 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing divorce needs in a positive and cooperative manner so as to resolve conflict, avoid litigation, and help people restructure their lives to benefit all family members before, during and after the divorce.

The Coalition for Collaborative Divorce supports five principles:

To resolve issues without going to court.
To address all aspects of restructuring families.
To deal with all issues as an integrated process.
To trust the integrity of the process at all times.
To support families in making their own choices for their lives.

The Coalition consists of a variety of divorce professionals in the West San Fernando, Simi and Conejo Valleys, including collaborative attorneys, mediators, paralegals, therapists, accountants, financial planners, realtors, insurance brokers, professional organizers and credit repair specialists. The Coalition for Collaborative Divorce works with couples or individuals to assess their specific situation and identify issues and the amount of conflict surrounding the divorce. Based on the results of the assessment, couples or individuals select professionals that will best serve their situation.

For more information, contact Peter Wiere, Divorce Mediator and Co-Founder of the Coalition for Collaborative Divorce, by calling (800) 559-3724 or by e-mailing info@nocourtdivorce.com.

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