So, where do you start?
Start by assessing where you are in the grief process.
Educate yourself on the options available, focusing on what you can control.
Be sure to create a vision for your future, encompassing your aspirations for yourself, your children, and even your spouse (yes, even your spouse!).
Be pro-active in reshaping the family dynamic.
Envision what you would like it to look like and surround yourself with positive support systems and advocates who uplift and guide you through this transition.
Be open to embrace healing and seek professional support when needed. You shouldn’t do this alone.
Consider non-adversarial approaches like mediation or collaborative law to settle the terms of separation. These methods prioritize communication, understanding, and mutual agreement, fostering a smoother transition for all parties involved.
Remember, you have the opportunity to be the change in your divorce.
By taking pro-active steps and seeking supportive avenues, you can pave the way for a more amicable and empowered process. You’ve got this!
Check out the McNeill Family Law website. We have a wealth of information and resources available for you.
Beryl McNeill is a Calgary divorce lawyer who strongly believes mutual respect and understanding go a long way toward resolving family law matters. As a Registered Collaborative Law practitioner in Calgary, she has dedicated her firm to amicable, cooperative negotiation as a means for settling divorces. Furthermore, throughout her law career, Beryl has seen the costs of adversarial negotiations, both financial and emotional. In emphasizing the collaborative approach, Beryl offers her clients a more efficient model that preserves personal and monetary assets alike.
More and more individuals are attracted to resolving their family law matters in a civil, respectful way. Therefore, they come to Beryl from many walks of life—as professionals in the oil and gas industry and their spouses, business owners, and working spouses with children. Clients say that even after a single consultation with Beryl they feel less stressed and more clear about the way forward.
Beryl understands the often fearful, emotional early stages of divorce. Incorporating skills developed from her training as a life coach, Beryl helps clients move beyond their stress response to more logical, creative thinking. Once there, she works with clients to discover what’s truly important to them in attaining divorce. Furthermore, she encourages clients to picture what a successful settlement would look like a year or more down the road as a means of focusing on their goals. By educating and empowering clients, Beryl seeks to transform the way they resolve family disputes—in a more constructive, intelligent and amicable way than would be possible otherwise.
Finally, Beryl is very active with the Family Bar and the Collaborative Law Community. Her involvement provides her clients with the assurance that she has her finger on the pulse of Family Law in Alberta, offering them a distinct advantage in their quest for equity and civility.