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| By Natasha Clark Assistant Managing Editor HOLYOKE A team of professionals have been hosting a number of seminars titled, "Key Mistakes Divorcing Couples Make in Getting a Divorce." Interested locals still have one more chance to catch the talk on its final Feb. 13 date at Holyoke Community College. Divorce lawyers Kathy Townsend and Eileen Sorrentino, divorce coach and child specialist Dr. Norman Christiansen and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst Freda Brown will explain the different types of divorce processes now available, the legal and financial issues to be aware of and the steps to take to make divorce less traumatic for divorcing couples and their children. The quartet give a free overview of the many options available today to a family considering or in the midst of divorce proceedings. "Mediation is where the two people, husband and wife, come in and meet with a neutral mediator. The mediator assists them in making decisions about all of the issues that the court requires people to cover in order to do a divorce on an uncontested basis," Townsend explained. "And sometimes people have lawyers but most have attorneys. We always recommend that they should check in with a lawyer and maybe a tax person. A lawyer can be a resource person. " Collaborative law is another avenue a married couple may take instead of going to court and having a judge decide and outline terms of a divorce. "It's similar to mediation in how you process the divorce but each party has a lawyer. The resource people may be a communication coach, a child therapist, all those people that you might want to consult with are part of the collaborative team," Townsend said. "You use them or not as needed. Both lawyers and clients sign a contract that they will not go into court on the intermediate disputes. If you decide in the interim that you want to go to court and have a judge decide, you have to go and get a lawyer. The two collaborative attorneys will not go into court." Townsend said this is an excellent process to get people through in a civil manner. Christiansen talks about the affects on families of divorce, specifically children and he is available to meet with the couple to help them derive terms best for their children. "One of the things that happens in a divorce, as people generally understand, is that there is a struggle between parents that rests in the desire to control their children's lives. They tug at their children. It sets up a loyalty bind for children that creates tremendous emotion," Christiansen said. "Sometimes the idea is to meet with the children and find out their opinion, and I can do that with almost any age." He said once he's gathered that information from the children, he brings it to the team. "I might look at some of the psychological needs of the child. If they have physical needs better served living with one parent," Christiansen explained. Townsend said seminar attendees tend to run the economic gamut. "We see people who have more debts than assets to divide, but because it's all a planning process, we say 'how do we put this together so you both can move on and have a plan for yourself and your kids?'" Townsend added. The last presentation will take place Feb. 13 at Holyoke Community College at the Kittredge Center at 6:30 p.m. |