Category Archives: Separation/Divorce Agreements | Eileen Coen, JD Mediation
Is Divorce Stress Making You Sick?
Is divorce stress making you sick? If you’re in the midst of a separation or divorce, you’re probably no stranger to stress — but did you know that the higher conflict your divorce is, the more it puts your health at risk? This Psychology Today article is not new — but it offers a… Read More »
What Is a Fair Divorce Financial Settlement? Child Support & Alimony Come Down to Dollars and Sense
Finding a fair divorce financial settlement. When it comes to alimony and child support, most divorcing couples are concerned that their agreement is fair. However, in my experience as a divorce mediator, both parties are most successful when they focus on the dollars first, rather than the sense. In other words, focus on what’s… Read More »
Four Strategies for Mediating a High Conflict Divorce
Mediating a high-conflict divorce. Sometimes people assume that the only way to handle their divorce with a high-conflict partner is to “lawyer up” and “buckle down” for the roller coaster ride. Statistically, this approach leads to increased conflict and less satisfaction with the results. There are also enormous financial and emotional costs, which can… Read More »
An Expert’s Advice on Insuring Child Support & Alimony
People typically know that the cash value of a Whole Life insurance policy can be a marital asset and subject to division on divorce. But term life insurance and disability insurance are often overlooked in divorce negotiations since they accrue no cash value. That’s a big mistake, especially when there is child support or… Read More »
Does “Mediator Certification” Matter?
Yes and No. In the mediation world, practitioners debate whether mediators ought to be certified and, if so, how to do it. Some courts allow only “certified mediators” to be placed on court rosters, but most simply require that mediators have completed a 40-hour training class. And in the private sector, there are no… Read More »
Getting Out of the Emotional Rut: Finding the Road to Peace
Divorce is one of life’s major traumas. On the famous Holmes and Rahe stress scale, divorce is the second biggest stressor after the death of a spouse. At the same time, the trauma of divorce usually goes hand-in-hand with other stressors on the scale, ranging from moving out of the family home to facing… Read More »
Want to Avoid a Long Divorce?
The 17-year long divorce proceedings of two law professors in Ohio have been highly publicized in the news recently. While their protracted case made headlines, most of us have heard a story or two about a horrible divorce that went on for years – and years. Here are some of the issues a couple,… Read More »
Five Tips for Dating During Separation
So you and your spouse are separated. You’re living in your own place. Your spouse is living somewhere else. You’re waiting out the requisite year of separation to file for divorce, but you’re feeling antsy to move on with your life, to meet someone else, to date. … It’s not unusual at this juncture… Read More »
7 Reasons Your Spouse Might Agree to Divorce Mediation
I can’t tell you how many times I receive phone calls from people seeking an uncontested divorce in Maryland, DC, or Virginia, but don’t know how to get their spouse to participate in mediation. Maybe the spouse is too angry or hurt or skeptical to try mediation. Maybe they already have a lawyer who… Read More »
The Gay Divorce Dilemma: Some Silver Linings
Same-sex couples always found it hard to get married. Now that they can, they are finding it even harder to get divorced. While it’s possible to run off to, say, Vermont or Massachusetts to get married, it is not possible to obtain a divorce the same way. That’s because getting married is not a… Read More »
