The collaborative divorce or separation is a unique process in several ways, one being the assembly of an interdisciplinary team of professionals to work with you toward your goals and priorities.   Each divorce or separation has at least three different aspects:  the psychological, the financial, and the legal.  The collaborative process is designed to acknowledge and address each of these aspects.  To do so, an interdisciplinary team is assembled.  The collaborative team includes mental health professionals, financial professionals, and attorneys, all trained in and committed to the collaborative process.  Some teams may include other professionals as needed, such as mediators, or process coordinators, who will also be fully trained in the collaborative process.  The collaborative team is tailored to meet the individual needs and priorties of each spouse or partner.  Below is a brief description of the role of each professional:

• Lawyer - Though collaborative practice seeks to avoid going to court, the settlement is still a legal document.  It is, therefore, essential that lawyers be involved to advise each client on all matters of law, from child custody and support to financial considerations and property distribution.  In addition, only a court of competent jurisdiction has authority to grant a final divorce, and make the settlement agreement an order of the court.  Once settlement is reached in the collaborative process, one or both of the parties must file in court, but only for the purpose of obtaining the final divorce, and having the agreement entered as a court order.

• Divorce Coach -  Is usually a mental health professional, and may be a licensed counselor, a psychologist, or a marriage and family therapist.  In any of those fields, the mental health professional will usually have extensive training in family dynamics, communications, and relationship issues.  By helping you manage the emotional aspects of divorce or separation, the Divorce Coach will help you to function at your best during the collaborative process.  They will help you focus on your strengths, so that you can achieve your goals for the present, and then assist you in taking positive steps toward a new life.

• Financial Consultant - Is a licensed professional, usually a financial planner or analyst.  The Financial Consultant functions as a neutral, committed to assisting both parties in achieving their goals through the collaborative process.  The divorce or separation settlement will likely affect your financial well-being for many years to come.  It is critical that the settlement be structured soundly.  The Financial Consultant will assist in developing viable financial options for your future.  You and your lawyer, working with the Financial Consultant in evaluating those choices, can then construct a comprehensive plan for the next stage of your life.

• Child Specialist - Is also a mental health professional, trained in working with children.  Children often suffer most from divorce or separation, yet are the least likely to understand or be able to express their feelings.  A child's world is turned upside down by divorce or separation, in ways they cannot even begin to comprehend.  It is at this time, all too often, that communication and cooperation between parents is at its most difficult point.  A goal of the collaborative  process, put into practice most directly by the Child Specialist, is to make sure that children are a priority in the decision-making, and do not become a casualty of the divorce or separation.  The Child Specialist will meet with the children privately, and assist them in expressing their feelings and concerns about the divorce or separation.  The Specialist then communicates their feelings, concerns, and hopes to the parents and appropriate members of the collaborative team, becoming the "voice of the child" at the collaborative table.