We all work with people in the maelstrom of ending a marriage – sometimes by their own design, and sometimes the end feels like a bolt from the blue. The feelings generated by that storm include grief, rage, terror, relief, anxiety, hopelessness…. and hope. Some of our clients can experience every one of those emotions during the time we are working with them. That reality can make our work difficult, confusing, exhausting and even distressing.

This workshop will focus on a set of specific concepts and techniques that can help us, as professionals and as people interacting with trauma, stay grounded, stay compassionate, stay focused, and stay effective.  We will explore ways to create a strong relationship with clients from the first moment of contact, factors to consider when deciding how to handle challenging moments during meetings, and how to navigate our own reactions to some of the most provocative experiences our clients might share with us. Through discussion and demonstration, Lisa and Kate will call on some of the core ideas from their two books about divorce and we will talk about how to integrate those ideas into our own styles of working with our divorcing clients.