FAQ – Fall 2026

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) I’m worried that…

LOVE IS NOT THE ANSWER

I’ve been struck by the stories of women, in my divorce coaching…

Meeting Anger in Children

During times of transition and grief, parents often expect sadness…
Preparation for Mediation

Preparation Ideas for your First Mediation Session

The following are a few thoughts and some guidance on how best…
Dignity and divorce

How to Divorce with Dignity and Respect

Television shows and movies often depict divorces as being highly…

Money and Divorce ~ Working with a Financial Neutral

What is a Financial Neutral?  A financial neutral is a member…

Top 10 Tips to have a Successful First Virtual Divorce Mediation or Collaborative Session

Location -  It’s important to find a private, quiet space…
Divorcing someone with narcissistic traits

A Tale of Two Divorces

A Tale of Two Divorces Divorce #1 ~ Bob and Barbara: Bob and…

Amicable Divorce: A Faster, More Efficient Path to a Financially Sustainable Separation

How a cooperative approach can help you achieve a quicker,…

How long does divorce take?

How long does divorce take? In Oregon, there is no mandatory…

Divorce Options – 4 Different Ways to Divorce

Once a couple has made the decision to part, they have different…

What is the cheapest way to get a divorce?

What is the cheapest way to get a divorce? In Oregon, the cheapest…

There’s Only One Side in a Collaborative Divorce

As a Mediator and Collaborative attorney, I only work with clients…

Video on Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative Divorce Empowers you to resolve your…

Oregon Child Support Tips

Child support can be a confusing and sometimes contentious…

How Can I Better Understand Child Support In Oregon?

Child support is an important topic when divorcing couples have…

10 Tips for Talking to Kids About Divorce or Separation

Talking to children about divorce is overwhelming. You might…

Children are our future…

The idea of a “Children’s’ Bill of Rights” is not new…

Preparation for Divorce – Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Finding and Working from our Higher Selves That’s the part…

Video ~ Collaborative Divorce : A Safe Place

Is Collaborative Divorce Right for You? Follow the true-life…

Celebrity Divorce Secrets: Why Mediation Works For So Many Famous Separating Couples (and Why It May Work For You In Oregon and Washington, Too)

Celebrity Divorce Secrets: Why Mediation Works for So Many Famous…

Recipe for Confidence During Divorce: How to Avoid the Abyss

Recipe for Confidence During Divorce: How to Avoid the Abyss Cook…

Kevin McHargue

Why I do this work? Having worked with families in transition…

How Children Process Loss During a Divorce

As families begin the process of divorcing, understanding how…

Maintaining Privacy During Divorce

When someone consults an attorney about getting a divorce,…

Negotiating with Your Partner: Look Ahead, Not Backwards

A colleague recently shared some training materials from Bill…

Communicating with a Collaborative Divorce Team

  Effective communication with your Collaborative Attorney…

More on Negotiation in a Collaborative or Mediated Divorce

More on Negotiation in a Collaborative or Mediated Divorce Jim…
Divorcing someone with narcissistic traits

Divorcing Someone with Narcissistic Traits

Someone with narcissistic traits, as explained in the “Diagnostic…

Giving Thanks After a Split

When you’re a child of divorce, holiday celebrations can come…

Diana Fedoroff

Why I do this work? I focus my law practice on cooperative…

The Friendly Divorce

What a softer, gentler, amicable, low-conflict divorce or separation…
Nobel Peace

Peace is a Perspective

The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP)…
Divorce Cost

How Much Will This Divorce Cost?

The cost of a divorce varies depending on the style of divorce…
Contact a Lawyer-Mediator

Collaborative Strengths

Strengths of Collaborative Divorce One of the strengths of Collaborative…
How to not fight

Consciously Moving Forward

I wish I could say that my former spouse and I processed our…

How (Not To) Fight

I picked up a little book at my daughter’s house last week…

What Is A Good Co-Parenting Relationship?

The effects of a divorce on the children involved can be detrimental…

Choosing between Mediation and Collaborative Divorce

When you go through the divorce process, you will need to address…

Bridges’ Divorce Coaches

A divorce coach is a mental health professional – often a psychologist…

Divorce Coach

Choosing a Child Specialist for your Child During a Divorce

Families often ask about the role of a child specialist in collaborative…
Tearing Apart a Dollar

Collaborative Divorce Knowledge Kit

Is Collaborative Divorce right for you? Download your free knowledge…
Children and Divorce

What Are the Most Common Divorce Fears?

Fear in a divorce is to be expected.  If the divorce process…

Why Mediation?

. . .why not just “ask the judge?” Mediation is a confidential process…

How to Avoid an Expensive Divorce

If you want to avoid an expensive divorce, the biggest piece…

Can Divorce be Easy?

First, a couple of definitions:   Amiable Divorce: You…

Stories about People Who Chose Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative Divorce Summaries: A couple who had once been…

Moms and Dads don’t give up on your other career dreams!

As a divorce coach and vocational expert in collaborative and…

Child-Centered Parenting During Your Divorce

As a Child Specialist, I have great compassion for the impact…

What is Co-Mediation?

Many family mediation matters are handled effectively by a single…

Tips for families to prepare for a Peaceful and Cost-Efficient Separation

Finances – Gather information on your monthly expenses, income,…

The Energy of Money and Divorce

Many people are paralyzed by fear when contemplating a divorce.…

We, at Bridges, are Peacemakers

What Does That Mean? Peacemaking means processing differences…

How do you “bridge” the chasm between you?

As obvious as they are, the elements of a constructive divorce…

Pete Johnson

Why I do this work?  I enjoy helping couples understand and…

“So you’re trying to get divorced, and now you’re both working from home.”

Our new life, sheltering in place is in full swing.  Oregonians…

Meg Merrill

Why I do this work? Divorce is an emotional as well as…
Stimulus Package 2021

What We Should Know About the Stimulus Package of 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law on March…
Intel Corp

Retirement Basics for Divorce – Part 2 – Intel Plans and related benefits, as of September 2020

Intel is one of Oregon’s largest employers and has several…

Retirement Basics for Divorce in Oregon: Part 1 – Pension Plans

Here are some tips for information gathering and decision making…

COVID-19, Energy Conservation and Divorce Settlement

COVID-19 is guiding us to see inefficiencies and find new ways…

What should I know about divorce during COVID-19 in Oregon?

Is it possible to start and complete a divorce during social…
Divorce and parenting balance

Divorce, Holidays and COVID-19

Co-parenting after a breakup is difficult to begin with. For…
Overcoming Barriers

“Overcoming your barriers to even thinking about going back to work. During a divorce…”

Collaborative divorce and vocational coaching is often a positive…

Update on Courts Delayed by COVID-19

In Washington County, trials that were supposed to take place…

Why I Hated the Movie “Marriage Story” Part 3:

No Common Sense, & No Help   Here’s my final critique…

Why I Hated The Movie “Marriage Story” Part 2:

It Ignored Current Options for Peaceful Divorce In my first…

Why I Hated the Movie “Marriage Story” Part 1

Marriage Story is an excellent film with a tremendous cast, including…
Staying Sane

Staying Sane During COVID-19 ~ Creating Peace and Balance

Staying sane during this time of COVID-19 has become a challenge…

How Does Resilience Change The Divorce Experience?

What is resilience?  Resilience is the capacity to prepare for,…

What is Preventive Law and Legal Health?

  In the medical field we hear a lot about preventive…

Total Eclipse of the Heart

On August 19, 2017, portions of Oregon and the U.S. experienced…

Collaborative Career Coaching Can Change Your Divorce

Attitudes about searching for career satisfaction have shifted…

T. Boone Pickens Tells How to Save Millions on Divorce

T. Boone Pickens was one of the featured presenters at a…

Find Meaning in Work Life and Rebuild Your Confidence Mid-Divorce

Whether you’ve initiated your divorce or vice versa and you…

Why Do You Need a Prenup? 7 Good Reasons

It’s wedding season and there are many preparations for the…

Relationships / Feedback

Negotiation requires listening to different perspectives that…

Help Create a Caring Workplace and Economy

As a psychotherapist and career counselor starting out in the…

Mediation as an Option

Is Mediation a Good Option for us?   Mediation is a…

Why Collaborative Divorce?

Most folks don’t want the typical (usually awful) American…

Pro Bono Spotlight

James O’Connor Pro Bono Spotlight From the Multnomah Lawyer,…
Seattle

IACP Forum, Seattle

International Academy of Collaborative Professionals ~ Forum 19th…

How to divorce without publicizing your private life

Most people don’t realize that everything they or their spouse…

Joanna “Jo” Posey

Why I do this work? Divorce can and should be a respectful…

Myah Kehoe

Why I do this work? I have seen the toll litigation…

Diane Gans, MA, LPC, Psychotherapist

Why I do this work? I am passionate about supporting children…

IACP Forum, Lake Las Vegas

IACP Forum 17th Annual Networking and Educational Forum October…

Collaborating collaborators…

Your Bridges’ professionals took Veterans’ Day away from…

Collaborative Divorce Empowers Stay-at-Home Spouse Re-Entering the Work Place

Increasingly in recent years, couples seeking an amicable divorce…

Robin Williams on Conflict

Robin Williams (1951-2014) demonstrates CONFLICT with his Sesame…

What’s a “Bonusfamily,” anyway?

Bonus Families ® is the only international non-profit organization…

IACP Institute

Welcome back, Dona! Dona Cullen has returned from Phoenix,…

Welcome Metro-Parent readers

Welcome Metro-Parent readers… If you saw our tall, skinny…

2011 Oregon Legislature Repeals 90-day Waiting Period

Prior to January 1, 2012, Oregon law seemed to prevent “a quickie-divorce.”…

IACP Forum, San Francisco

October 27-30, 2011 Westin St. Francis / San Francisco Your…

This American Life

Let no court put asunder…. Originally aired 8.24.2007 339:…

Gail Jean Nicholson, MA, LPC

Why I do this work?  Being part of a collaborative or mediating…

Lee Hamilton, MA

  Why I do this work: Having counseled children and…

Dona Cullen

Why I do this work?  I am passionate about families and…