Couples Counseling
If you want couples counseling in the Los Angeles area and you partner refuses to attend, I would encourage you to begin the sessions on your own at first. Often times, I have seen the hesitant partner change his/her mind after witnessing the positive and powerful changes taking place for the partner who is attending therapy. Beginning therapy by the interested partner often encourages the resistant partner to join later.
Couples Therapy
I take great care to ensure that our meeting is comfortable and informative. It is important to me that you have a good experience. During our initial consultation, I’ll answer any questions you have about therapy and explore what methods might be appropriate for you given your situation. The most important part of therapy is recognizing that you are making progress.
We’ll go over your goals and desires and how to evaluate if you are reaching them. In the process, you’ll experience my style as a therapist and my commitment to helping you reach your personal therapy goals.
Divorce Counseling
I also offer an evaluation process to help couples who are unsure if they want to get divorced or stay married called Decision Counseling.
In a few sessions you are able to determine whether there is enough left in the marriage to work on it, or if it is now time to move forward with divorce.
Amicable divorces are very rare indeed. Unpleasantness nearly always marks the process because it created the discord in the relationship in the first place. This method of divorce compels civility and communication due to the very nature of the process. Clients routinely say that they spoke more to their ex during the first session than they did during the last two years of their marriage.
Collaborative/Mediation gives each individual an opportunity to speak about his or her deep hurt. The courts have no interest in such exchanges. This can lead to a closure and healing experience that is not available in the adversarial litigation model.
In any divorce, it’s important for the couple to realize that the courtroom is not a place for revenge or validation. Too many times, clients are looking for a judge, a lawyer for someone in authority to listen to their pain and tell them they are right.
Anyone who wants to avoid the emotionally draining and costly experience of court litigation. Collaborative/Mediation considers each individual’s real life, personal situation, and actual expenses utilizing financial experts and mental health Divorce Specialists before creating final judgments.
Couples who want to maintain a working co-parenting relationship with their former spouse for the benefit of the children.
Couples with adolescent children. Especially if their children are planning to attend college. The law does not require parents to pay for college expenses, however through the Collaborative/Mediation approach parents can agree to share expenses.
Couples with special needs children. The team considers every aspect of handling the complex demands of caring for the child.
Couples who own a business together. Settlements are arraigned privately without panicking clients and/or investors while maintaining all aspects of the business from public court examination.
Couples who want to keep their private lives and personal finances away from public scrutiny in the court system.