Divorce Therapy
The decision to end a marriage can be highly traumatic for everyone involved. And the process of getting divorced can be even more challenging. Focus on the legal and financial aspects of divorce can, and often does, push the emotional trauma of divorce into the background. Yet it’s the emotional trauma that often leaves long-term scars.
Divorce counseling is designed to address the emotional element of divorce before, during, and after the decision to end the marriage has been made.
Divorce counseling can help both parties move through the process as smoothly and with as little conflict as possible. It can help minimize the short- and long-term emotional repercussions for everyone impacted by the divorce, especially children.
And it can help both parties transition more easily into the next phase of their life.
If you and your spouse have made the decision to separate or end your marriage, a licensed therapist who specializes in divorce counseling may be able to help you both manage the difficult emotions that may be hindering your decision-making, your relationship with children and family, and your ability to successfully transition into the next phase of your life.
Is Divorce Counseling the Same as Marriage Counseling?
Divorce counseling (sometimes called discernment counseling) should not be confused with marriage counseling or couples counseling.
Couples counseling is appropriate for couples who are experiencing conflict in their relationship but have not made the decision to separate or divorce. The goal of marriage or couples counseling is to resolve conflict and offer both parties tools to work through marital strife together.
Divorce counseling is appropriate when the decision to separate or divorce has already been made. The goal of this specific type of therapy is not to “save the marriage.” Instead, it is designed to help both parties deal with the emotional consequences of that decision. Depending on the specific situation, divorce counseling may occur in joint sessions, individually, or a mix of both.
Pre-Divorce Counseling vs. Post-Divorce Counseling
There are two different types of divorce therapy, each with its own unique goals.
Pre-divorce counseling occurs once the decision to divorce has been made and throughout the process of the divorce. The goal of pre-divorce therapy is to help both parties navigate the emotional aspects of the divorce as smoothly as possible to minimize conflict and facilitate decision-making.
Pre-divorce counseling can provide you and your spouse with the emotional tools you need to work civilly with each other throughout the divorce.
Pre-divorce counseling is especially important for couples with children. Decisions around custody issues can be especially problematic. But most importantly, couples must learn how to navigate their own personal issues without causing additional emotional damage to their children.
In most cases, pre-divorce counseling is conducted with both parties together, although it can also involve some individual sessions.
Post-divorce counseling is designed to help each partner individually work through the emotional trauma of the divorce as well as cope with moving forward into your new life.
Post-divorce counseling can, of course, help you find ways to continue to interact with your ex-partner in a positive way after the divorce, if such interaction is required. For couples with children, for instance, post-divorce counseling may be useful in managing ongoing conflict around shared custody and child care issues.
But much of the focus of post-divorce therapy should be about moving forward on your own.
Post-divorce counseling can help you manage the emotional stress that comes along with creating a new life without your spouse. Of course this can help focusing on your emotional and mental health. But it can also mean focusing on the challenges of managing life on a daily basis. Post-divorce therapy can help you manage changes to your work life, your other relationships, or even simply coping with stress relating to housing and finances.
Post-divorce counseling can also help you manage the complicated emotions that stem from the divorce itself. It can help you process feelings of guilt or shame that the marriage “failed”, for example. It can help you come to terms with the decision, regardless of how the decision to divorce was originally made. And ultimately, understanding why the marriage ended, for example, will play a critical role in enabling you to avoid repeating a similar pattern in future relationships.
Divorce is almost never easy. But counseling with a licensed, experienced therapist can help make the process a bit smoother, and the transition just a little easier.
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Collaborative Therapeutic Services (CTS) wants to help. We offer a variety of counselling and therapy services, hours, and service providers with diverse specializations. We offer evening & weekend appointments in office or by TeleHealth conferencing.
Have questions? Contact Us Here or Call 813-951-7346. Located in Tampa, Florida. Ask us about our new NEUROLEASE™ TREATMENT THERAPY - A cutting edge treatment for releasing toxic emotions.