The holidays are upon us! Thanksgiving is next week, and you've probably noticed that some stores are already piping in holiday music and pointing visitors to Christmas presents. (You've also probably noticed new cups at Starbucks that may or may not be festive enough for some people's liking, but that's another topic for another day and another blog.) The holidays, while they have the potential to be wonderful and bring happy memories, can also be stressful and emotionally tumultuous, … [Read more...]
Gauging the Impact of Conflict on Children in Divorce
Collaborative Law Institute of Texas President-Elect Camille Milner, while attending the 2015 IACP Conference earlier this month, was inspired by keynote speaker Donna Hicks to write a blog article from the road. Titled "The Impact of Conflict on Children," the article looks at how children are impacted psychologically by their parents' fights, the similarities between psychological and physical injury, and strategies to help minimize the damages in a divorce. She also highlights a valuable … [Read more...]
Can You Get a Divorce AND Have Joyous Holidays?
This article was written by Tracy Stewart, a College-Station based financial planner, a Brazos Valley Collaborative Divorce Alliance founding member, and a former Collaborative Law Institute of Texas board member specializing in collaborative divorce. Yes. Get a collaborative divorce. Steer clear of a court-system divorce. Avoid draining your savings. Side step family squabbles. Enjoy your holidays. How Does Collaborative Divorce Get You Happy Holidays? In a Collaborative Divorce, you learn … [Read more...]
What to Remember When Divorcing with Children
Divorce can be emotionally challenging when it involves just a couple -- but when that couple has children, it can be even more emotionally taxing for every family member. With that in mind, Collaborative Law Institute of Texas President-Elect Camille Milner posted a recent, excellent article on her blog covering the 10 things to remember when divorcing with children. One of the first rules she gives -- echoed by a therapist writing for the Denton County Collaborative Professionals blog she … [Read more...]
When Emotion Overwhelms Reason (and How to Counter It In Divorce Negotiations)
This article is from Kevin Fuller, founder of Dallas-based Fuller Mediations, a firm that provides a range of mediation services to settle divorces and other disputes, and a former president of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. I’ve been involved enough with divorce negotiations to see this more than once: I bring a solid settlement offer to a client, in which we’ve been able to work out a parenting plan and a financial settlement that meets the client’s needs. And yet, it’s rejected, … [Read more...]
“Your Divorce May Be the Best Thing That’s Ever Happened to You”
The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas is proud to be featuring Honorée Corder, author of If Divorce is a Game, These are the Rules Business Dating and Vision to Reality, as the featured speaker at the organization’s 10th Annual Luncheon at the Advanced Family Law Conference in San Antonio on August 4. Corder’s perspective on divorce (and, in particular, bouncing back from divorce) is refreshing and completely in line with what collaborative divorce advocates seek for their clients -- … [Read more...]
Communication: What’s It All About? (Part Two)
This article (the second of a two-part article) was written by Dr. Honey Sheff, a Dallas-based mental health professional and a board member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. If you missed Part One, you can find it here. In my previous article, I took a look at the importance of good communication for divorcing and divorced parents – starting with the basic idea that parents should communicate with each other, not using their children as go-betweens, and that parents should be … [Read more...]
Communication: What’s It All About? (Part One)
This article (the first of a two-part article) was written by Dr. Honey Sheff, a Dallas-based mental health professional and a board member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. One of the most common challenges facing any couple is establishing good and healthy communication patterns. Mental health professionals tout the importance and benefits of good communication for relationships to develop and to thrive, and teaching communication skills is one of the foundations of any kind of … [Read more...]
Why Your Children Should Not Be Messengers
We noticed a recent, powerful blog article from CLI-TX member (and former CLI-TX board member) Linda Solomon on her website, about the assignment that some children of divorcing and divorced parents unwittingly assume -- becoming a messenger for his or her parents. Here's the particular excerpt that caught our attention: Recently, I worked with a Mom who was concerned about information she was learning from Sam, her four year-old son. She reported the divorce has been final for three years … [Read more...]
Why Choose Collaborative Divorce? Here Are Six Good Reasons
We thought this recent blog article from the Brazos Valley Collaborative Law Alliance was worth a share -- written by former Collaborative Law Institute of Texas board member and BVCLA founding member Tracy Stewart, it looks at six benefits of choosing collaborative law for settling a divorce. She's able to boil the six benefits down to single words -- control, support, focus, money, future, and deal. The ideas behind the single words are cornerstones of why collaborative law was launched as an … [Read more...]
