Coach

A Coach is a licensed therapist (for example, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists) trained in Collaborative Practice with a focus on and understanding of changing family systems. They are skilled in the management of a wide range of emotions which arise during times of conflict and dispute. The Coach is a key member of the Collaborative Team. Coaching is not legal advice and is not therapy. The Coach helps clients work through the emotions of the legal dispute. Together with the Collaborative Team, the Coach fosters and strengthens respectful communication, promoting better understanding and movement towards desired outcomes and resolving issues. In divorce, the Coach assists by working through concerns relating to the divorce and post-divorce that include child custody and development of parenting plans, child support, spousal support, alimony and division of property. In estate planning and business succession, the Coach understands family systems and can facilitate working through obstacles preventing resolution of issues while maintaining and strengthening respectful communication.

Goals of the Coach

  • Assist the Collaborative Team to manage emotional reactivity of clients;
  • Promote healthy, respectful communication to resolve current issues and concerns;
  • Develop more productive patterns of future functioning;
  • Facilitate discussion to help navigate through obstacles blocking resolution;
  • Identify interpersonal and emotional goals and struggles related to the dispute;
  • Redirect clients from a position of blame to a place where solutions and cooperation are the focal point;
  • Promote and strengthen family functioning and relationships;
  • Focus on future goals while managing the pain of the family transition;
  • Minimize the potential destructive nature of divorce for the clients and the children; and
  • Strengthen and support the parent/child relationship.

To schedule a confidential consultation and learn more, contact a professional with Collaborative Law Professionals of Southeastern Pennsylvania.