Divorce Support Resources

How can you live with your spouse when a divorce is imminent but before physical separation is possible? Often couples have decided to divorce, and yet they cannot immediately physically separate. How can couples make this interim period of cohabiting as functional and healthy as possible — both for themselves and their children? This article […]

Custody can be a loaded term, filled with implicit threats of loss — loss of control, loss of time, and loss of one’s children. Custody, both a legal and colloquial term, can render images of wailing children wrenched from the arms of panicking parents. One of my tasks as a mediator is to challenge antiquated, […]

I. We’ve signed our Agreement… What is Next? If you are reading this, congratulations — the heavy lifting of mediating a settlement is behind you, and what comes next is straightforward (if bureaucratic and administratively tedious).  A fully executed, notarized Agreement: The golden ticket to an uncontested divorce Once spouses have signed and notarized their […]

Alexander Mediation Group offers a free monthly online divorce and separation support group.  The group has been running for over 12 years and has provided a confidential, steady, and welcoming space for individuals navigating divorce, separation, or the contemplation of significant relationship change. RSVP required to attend. The group is facilitated by Rachel Alexander, Esq., […]

As a woman, your experience of divorce is going to be very different from a man’s. You probably have few issues seeking support through your network, but I cannot urge you strongly enough to augment your support system to help you through this difficult time. In many cases, individuals in a languishing marriage have isolated […]

Advice For Men Divorce is never easy, no matter what your sex.  During a divorce, men face certain challenges and fears that differ from those facing women.  When men have been the breadwinners in the marriage, they worry about having to pay exorbitant alimony for an indefinite period of time.  Additionally, men fear they will […]

What about the pets? It's not a foregone conclusion that separation or divorce means divorcing or forsaking your pet. That would be too heartbreaking for words, is avoidable, and is therefore unacceptable.  Pets are a topic that folks often raise sheepishly, appreciating that when it comes to matrimonial law, divorce, and equitable distribution, animals are […]

Whether you are separating or divorcing, moving from one living space to another is often another challenge of this transition. Sometimes moves are joyful - moving in with friends you love, or into a home you aspired to. Even then, moving consistently ranks among life’s most stressful experiences.  See the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (which […]

One of the most destabilizing aspects of divorce is not the legal process, the logistics, or even the conflict - it is the quiet erosion of one’s sense of lovability. Divorce often carries an implicit story: that something failed, that someone was rejected, that love proved conditional or insufficient. Even when divorce is mutual or […]

Why Being Hard on Yourself Doesn't Help Divorce has a way of activating shame. Quietly or loudly, many people turn inward and begin assigning blame - sometimes to their former partner, often to themselves. The internal narrative can be relentless: I should have known better. I should have tried harder. This is my fault.  Shame feels […]

Of course, there is not a person alive who wants to spend more money than necessary on their divorce. Though one may have a vacation account, no one has a divorce account. Although divorce can sometimes feel like a medical procedure, it is not covered by health insurance. Regardless of the extent of financial assets […]