Divorce Legal Communication
Program
Divorce legal communication program
Divorce is a challenging and stressful process that can have a significant impact on one’s emotional well-being. It involves not only the legal dissolution of a marriage, but also the loss of a partner, a shared identity, and a future plan. Divorce can trigger a range of emotions, such as anger, sadness, guilt, anxiety, and loneliness. These emotions can be overwhelming and difficult to cope with, especially if the divorce is contentious or involves children.
However, divorce is a legal process that is based on laws which differ by the country and province you reside in and is not based on emotions. The divorce may involve various issues such as property division, child custody, spousal support, and child support. How you reach agreements on these issues while understanding and processing your emotions can be difficult.
What is the Divorce Legal Communication Program?
At Tod Augusta Scott Family Therapy we partner with a legal facilitator to offer the Divorce Legal Communication Program to couples who are trying to reach a separation agreement. This is a process by which the couples agree to hire a neutral legal facilitator to complete their separation agreement while agreeing to seek therapeutic help throughout the process. In addition to their legal facilitation sessions, provided by an independent third party, each party continues to work with their own therapist. The therapists will work individually with the parties on any personal issues that may be hindering the timely creation of a separation agreement.
Why Seek Legal Communication Services for Divorce?
High conflict legal facilitation can have emotional benefits for both parties as it can reduce stress, conflict, and resentment, and promote communication, cooperation, and understanding. There are times when past traumas may interfere with one’s ability to agree on a separation agreement. You may be less inclined to find compromises that are in the best interest of everyone involved, including your children, if you can not see past your own feelings. Having therapists involved can make sure that these emotions are processed with the help of a trained professional, and the legal facilitator can then do what they were trained to do, which is to help you come to a fair and reasonable legal outcome for both parties.
- It can help you communicate better. By teaching you skills to express your thoughts and feelings in a clear and respectful way, communication will become easier. Therapy can also help you listen and understand others better by improving your empathy and awareness.
- It can help you resolve conflicts. By helping you understand yourself and others better, it is easier to work on conflict resolution. Therapy can help you develop coping skills, learn to communicate effectively, and find solutions to your problems.
- It can help you deal with grief, anger, guilt and anxiety. Therapists help you identify the sources of these feelings, express them in healthy ways, and cope with the challenges they pose. Therapy can also help you develop new skills and strategies to manage your emotions and improve your well-being.
- It can help you rebuild self-esteem and identity. Sometimes, life events or circumstances can damage your self-esteem and identity, making you feel insecure, confused, or lost. Therapy can help you regain your confidence and clarity by providing a safe and supportive space where you can express yourself freely, challenge negative beliefs, and discover your strengths and values.
- It can help provide safe space to express emotions. Emotions are natural and valid responses to our experiences, but sometimes they can be overwhelming or difficult to manage. By expressing emotions in therapy, people can gain insight into their feelings, understand their triggers and patterns, and learn healthy ways to regulate their emotions. Therapy can also help people feel less alone and more supported in their emotional journey.
- It is confidential. Unlike litigation, where the divorce proceedings are public record, legal facilitation is a private and discreet process that does not expose the personal details of the couple’s relationship or divorce to anyone else.
- It is less costly and time-consuming. Litigation can be expensive, lengthy, and unpredictable, which can add to the emotional burden of divorce. Legal facilitation can be faster, less expensive, and more flexible, allowing the couple to save money and time, and focus on moving forward with their lives.
- It is less adversarial and more cooperative. Litigation can create a win-lose mentality, where the couple views each other as enemies and tries to gain an advantage over the other. Legal facilitation can foster a win-win mindset, where the couple works to find a solution that meets their needs and interests. This can reduce animosity and hostility, and preserve a respectful relationship between the parties.
- It is empowering and satisfying. Litigation can make the couple feel powerless and frustrated, as they have to rely on lawyers and judges to make decisions for them. Legal facilitation can give the couple more control and input over the outcome of their divorce, as they have the opportunity to express their views, concerns, and preferences, and negotiate a settlement that they both agree on. This can increase their sense of self-determination and satisfaction with the process and the result.
- It is better for children. Litigation can expose children to parental conflict, which can have negative effects on their emotional well-being and development. Legal facilitation can protect children from witnessing or being involved in disputes between their parents, and help them adjust to the changes in their family. Legal facilitation can also help the couple to create a co-parenting plan that prioritizes the best interests of their children, and supports their ongoing relationship with both parents.
Who we partner with for legal facilitation
Lisa Teryl is a senior lawyer in the practice of family law and restorative justice at Teryl Scott Lawyers Inc. Among other areas, Lisa has a deep knowledge of family law, human rights law and how to manage tough conflicts. Using this experience, she developed Teryl Scott’s popular flat fee divorce mediation programs for families. Realizing some divorces require extra attention to communication, she and Tod created the Divorce Legal Communication Program.
Before starting her practice, Lisa served for six years as the senior legal counsel, using a restorative approach to law, at the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission (2009-2015). For her work at the Commision, she was an honoree at an Extraordinary Alumnae Lunch hosted by the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University.
Lisa is sister to Tod Augusta Scott, and it is through this shared passion for restorative approaches that they were able to develop the idea of Legal Communication Services for Divorce together. Coming from both sides of the service, they were able to see how what they could provide individually, would be enhanced if provided together to their clients.
Together Lisa and Tod have been asked to present on the innovative approach to family law that they developed. The University of Manitoba’s Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse (Resolve) network invited them to present a webinar on the subject. (June 28, 2023)
Following the webinar recordings and briefs will be available.
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Our booking administrator will respond on the same business day to book your appointment and gather all relevant details needed to connect you with the right therapist. Please note that our services are currently only available to residents of Ontario & Nova Scotia.
