By Susan Pease Gadoua, LCSW (Social Worker)
I have devoted 3 blog entries to this book because I think it is extremely valuable information that is well written and can provide a blue print for one who is contemplating divorce and needs help in exploring the many highly emotionally charged aspects of this decision.
The author starts this section with focusing on what the person has learned about them selves and their feelings.
In this process, once the person is moving toward divorcing they focus on the feelings that have brought them to that point. This focusing is designed to help the individual to deal effectively with the “flip flop” phenomenon where the person goes back and forth never being able to make a decision that they feel confident enough to follow-up on what they’ve discovered they need in their lives.
In this section Whether deals with the legal nuts and bolts of the divorce process, talking about the different types of divorce processes from collaborative, to mediation, to litigation. Issues like: finding a good attorney, the emotions that occur during the proceedings, and setting goals for what to do after the divorce is final. In this section the author outlines how to deal with children of different ages and adolescents
And how to approach them based on their age and maturity.
Let’s hope your relationship can be saved and strengthened but if that’s not possible: Contemplating Divorce: Whether to Stay or Go would be an excellent resource to guide one through the process.