by Ginny Simon, Neutral Facilitator

Will having a neutral facilitator on my Collaborative Team cost me a lot more money? Is it worth it?

When your collaborative attorney recommends that you have a neutral facilitator/divorce coach on your team, your first reaction might be worry that the cost will go up. However, the cost of the collaborative process and the fees of the team is often more economical than the cost of litigation. The mental health neutral’s involvement keeps the process working effectively. Therefore, his or her charges are well worth the price.

The divorce coach helps the team to avoid or negotiate emotional obstacles to agreement, and that saves you money. In an individual session, he or she will help you set goals for the process and learn what issues might be upsetting to you during meetings. She will then share the most important points with the other professionals, which lessens the emotional and financial costs. Additionally, the neutral facilitator/divorce coach will work with you outside of the full team meetings to set the stage for issues to be discussed with the whole team. This might include working on a parenting plan, if there are children under 18, and/or emotional challenges that you are facing. A brief conversation with a coach about something that might be bothering you can save time and money when the team gathers. The coach will also help keep the team moving during meetings, to avoid wasting time, and therefore saving fees.

A collaborative divorce is designed to help you “divorce with integrity”. It is our hope that you will leave the process feeling that you had all the support you needed and that you feel the process was effective. It is hard to put a price on that, but an experienced coach will certainly work her hardest to meet this goal.