Children are usually not part of a divorce in Washington State, even a collaborative divorce. New research shows, however, that children who are given some ownership over the process are better able to handle the emotions that come with a divorce transition. Most children will recover from any pain caused by a divorce - research shows that four years after a divorce most children of divorced parents have the same level of emotional health that children of intact marriages. It's the conflict that causes trauma, not the divorce itself.

At Westside Collaborative Law PLLC we are focused on you and your child throughout the transition. We can help you create a divorce process that will allow your children to feel heard and respected. You can all feel better through the transition. Include your children. Give them a voice. Your relationships will benefit later.

Many of us grew up with parents who were divorced. We remember trying to manage the situation through calming down our parents, acting out to get attention, or other coping mechanisms. We probably remember feeling that our needs were not a priority for our parents. Some of those wounds last a lifetime. 

We probably swore we would never, ever get divorced, and are now beating up on ourselves. A divorce may not be what you wanted. But you can make the divorce process easier for your children than it was for you.  

We can help you minimize conflict and create communication procedures that will help everyone move forward. Your children don't have to feel like they're in the middle. You can still protect them. In many ways, communication after divorce is easier for families. You deserve to have your needs met, and we can help you meet your child's needs too. Many families have faced the exact challenge you face now, and they are thriving today. We can help you find a way to move forward with your children as the focus.