Your Psychologist Speaks About Divorce

AWOG (American Women of Greece) Bulletin
Athens, Greece
Dear Dr. Andrews,
I am going through a divorce, and my attorney has suggested divorce counseling. I want to know more about it and how I can benefit from it. Do you think that divorce counseling can be helpful to somebody in a divorce situation?
"Trying to Handle it"

ANSWER:
Dear "Trying to handle it"
First of all, let me say that I think your attorney has made an excellent recommendation by suggesting to you the idea of divorce counseling. Like marriage counseling, divorce counseling is a therapeutic process that has a special focus! It assists a person to begin to handle the ending of the marital conflicts and to explore one's personal strengths and resources for coping with the dissolution of the marriage. Divorce counseling may have three phases. Pre-divorce counseling, divorce counseling and post-divorce counseling. The divorcing and divorced person, with the assistance of the counselor, will deal with the pain over the dying marriage - attitudes, feelings and behavior he or she experiences in relation to the ex-spouse, the children, relatives and friends. Through the stages of divorce counseling, an individual can gain the benefit of taking a good look - perhaps for the first time in his/her life - at feelings about communication, expectations from self and others, dating, marriage, work, leisure and emotional needs. Divorce counseling can enable one to clarify their values and view of life as a whole. Often while in counseling, people realize for the first time their own sense of autonomy, responsibility and self worth. Divorce counseling can be beneficial to individuals who have gotten a divorce but who still have unresolved feelings such as grief, hurt, resentment or anger. A special goal of divorce counseling is to ease the emotional stress that divorce can have on the child, and to help heal the already stressed parent-child relationship. I do want however, to emphasize how important the choice of a life coach can be in a divorce situation. Their objectivity, as well as warmth and support toward you, is crucial. In my work with people who are going through a divorce experience, my aim is to enable you to achieve self-awareness, to learn to accept yourself without guilty feelings and to explore personal options and choices. Divorce is a painful situation, yet it can be a new beginning for personal growth and understanding once the necessary steps are taken.
Dr. Andrews
Eugenia Andrews, Ph.D. is a psychologist, clinical hypnotherapist, public speaker, E.F.T practitioner and a university professor. She has a private practice in hypnosis and coaching in Fort Worth, Texas. She welcomes your questions and letters and can be reached at: (817) 810-9229.