Divorce Mediation Center of Fairfield County, LLC

08/14/2026

Divorce doesn’t require the biggest team. It requires the right team.
Different professionals serve different roles- legal, financial, parenting and emotional, and not everyone needs every professional.
Start with the process. Then curate the support around what your family actually needs.
Curate. Don’t collect.

08/13/2026

The Team Before the Team

Long before a divorce team is assembled, there is often already a team in the room.

Therapists and other mental health professionals are often working with individuals, couples and families during The Space Between™, the period when a marriage may be ending, but the path forward has not yet been determined.

This is where emotional readiness matters.

Emotional readiness doesn’t mean the grief, anger or fear is gone. It means those emotions are no longer driving every decision.

That work can set the stage for what comes next: two spouses who are better able to identify their goals, hear one another, focus on their family’s needs and work toward resolutions that consider everyone.

The alternative can be a process driven by emotion and positions, one that becomes longer, more expensive and more painful, often without better outcomes for anyone.

The team before the team isn’t there to give legal advice. Its role can be just as important: helping people become ready for the process ahead.

Because the difference between a divorce process that is efficient, compassionate and resolution focused and one that consumes a family’s time, resources and emotional energy can begin long before anyone hires a lawyer.

How a family enters divorce matters.

The Divorce Mediation Center of Fairfield County, LLC in Westport provides divorce mediation, collaborative divorce and family mediation services to Connecticut clients, helping them resolve disputes in a way that is more respectful and less adversarial.

08/01/2026

Making Peace with Shared Parenting

One of the hardest transitions after divorce isn’t creating the parenting schedule.

It’s learning to be okay when your children are with the other parent.

Missing them is normal. Feeling the quiet is normal. Grieving the change is normal.

The goal isn’t to stop missing your children. It’s to give them the freedom to build memories, traditions, and loving relationships in both homes—without carrying the weight of your sadness.

Sometimes the most important work in mediation isn’t reaching an agreement.

It’s helping parents make peace with shared parenting.

❤️ Two homes. One childhood.

07/15/2026

Divorce isn’t just about ending a marriage.

It’s about shaping what comes next.

Too often, couples spend their energy trying to resolve yesterday’s marriage instead of creating tomorrow’s family.

When the conversation shifts from the past to the future, decisions become clearer.

Not because they’re easier.

Because they’re guided by a different purpose.

07/02/2026

Not every divorce needs the same roadmap.
One of the first things I tell prospective clients is this: before deciding how to divorce, it’s important to understand all of your options.
That’s why I begin with a joint process consultation whenever appropriate. It’s not mediation. It’s not collaborative divorce. And it’s not a commitment to anything.
It’s simply a conversation where both spouses meet together to:
• Learn the differences between litigation, mediation, and collaborative divorce
• Discuss the unique dynamics of your family and the issues you’ll need to address
• Assess the level of support you may need—legal, financial, emotional, or parenting-related
• Ask questions in a neutral, transparent setting
• Determine which process is the best fit for your situation
No two families are alike. For some couples mediation is appropriate. Others benefit from the additional support of collaboratively trained attorneys, a neutral financial professional, or a mental health coach. The right process depends on your goals, your communication, your finances, your children, and the complexity of your circumstances.
The first step isn’t choosing a side. It’s understanding your options.
An informed decision at the beginning of the process can save time, money, and unnecessary conflict later.

06/29/2026

What an incredible day at Friday's CTAMFT Annual Conference, Waves That Carry Us, Relational Perspectives on Grief, Healing, & Connection
in Uncertain Tides.

The conference theme couldn't have been more timely, exploring the collective grief, uncertainty, and relational challenges so many individuals, couples, and families are experiencing.

I was honored to present The Space Between: Emotional Readiness for Divorce with Michelle Adelman (special thanks to Jennifer Luise Champagne for her behind the scenes work!) We had such a thoughtful, engaging, and insightful conversation about discernment, healing separation, emotional readiness, and the important role therapists play in helping clients prepare for mediation and collaborative divorce.

The questions, discussion, and perspectives shared by attendees made the session especially meaningful. It's always encouraging to be in a room filled with professionals who are committed to helping families move through difficult transitions with greater clarity, dignity, and compassion.

A sincere thank you to CTAMFT for hosting such an exceptional conference and for creating space for conversations that matter. I'm grateful to have been part of it and look forward to continuing these interdisciplinary conversations between mental health professionals and nonadversarial divorce professionals.

06/12/2026

A day of connection, collaboration, and planning for the future. 💙

The CCND (CT Council for NonAdversarial Divorce) Board gathered at the Yale Peabody Museum to reflect on how far we’ve come and to explore new ways to strengthen mediation and collaborative divorce in Connecticut.

Grateful for this thoughtful, dedicated group and excited for the year ahead!

05/28/2026

The right support changes the experience.

When I started practicing family law in the late 1990s, divorce was typically approached as a lawyer’s game of strategy, negotiation, threats, and court battles. The focus was primarily legal, even though families were also struggling emotionally, financially, and relationally.

Thankfully, today, there is a growing recognition that families need more than legal guidance alone. Mediation and collaborative divorce rely on interdisciplinary teams of professionals equipped to support families where support is actually needed, legally, emotionally, financially, and with co-parenting dynamics.

Nonadversarial does not mean a lack of conflict. Collaborative does not mean agreement across the board. These processes still involve difficult conversations, disagreement, and hard decisions. The difference is that families move through those moments with guidance, structure, and a team focused on problem solving rather than escalation.

In my recent blog for Fresh Starts Registry, I discuss rethinking divorce not as a battle to win, but as a restructuring of a family, finances, parenting, and future.

Link in bio to read the full blog.

FreshStarts

05/24/2026

One of the most overused and misunderstood phrases in divorce today is “high conflict.”

Not every difficult divorce fits that label. Sometimes spouses are simply grieving differently, struggling to communicate, or moving through the process on different timelines. Sometimes there is reactive conflict. Sometimes there is positional bargaining. Sometimes there is coercive control or abuse.

Those situations are not the same and they should not all be treated the same.

When we use “high conflict” as a catch all phrase, we risk minimizing abuse while also pathologizing normal disagreement. Words matter. Processes matter. Understanding the source of conflict matters.

Perhaps it is time for more thoughtful language and more nuanced approaches when helping families restructure.

05/19/2026

Reframing Changes Conversations.

One of the most important shifts in mediation and collaborative divorce is moving away from rigid positions and toward understanding goals and interests.

A position sounds like:
“I’m not sharing my retirement.”
“I want the house.”
“You’re not entitled to alimony.”

But beneath many positions is often a deeper concern, fear, or goal:
“I want financial stability.”
“I want meaningful time with the children.”
“I want to feel secure moving forward.”

When communication focuses on understanding underlying goals rather than defending positions, conversations often become more productive, respectful, and solution-focused.

Reframing changes conversations. And often, it changes outcomes too.

CoParenting NonAdversarialDivorce