Specialist Advisors

Experts used to be 'hired guns' to support one side in court.  Times have changed.  Today's modern experts assist families in a truly 'neutral' way to provide extra help with complex issues.  Such experts are available in the mediation or collaborative divorce processes. 

Depending on the issues at dispute, it may be more cost and time efficient to use a specialist advisor who would help examine the situation and explore options for resolution.  Value can be added to the negotiation process by a specialist advisor in many situations.  For example, financial issues, parenting plans, or where interpersonal / communication problems are getting in the way may benefit from neutral advisors who in the end may assist in a quicker negotiation/settlement. 

There are different types of specialist advisors:

• financial advisors;
• child specialists; or
• communication coaches.

A financial advisor is particularly helpful where there is an imbalance of financial knowledge between the spouses.  For example, one spouse may have taken care of all of the family finances and investments during the marriage and the other spouse now questions whether the information being provided is fair and accurate.  These situations frequently occur where one spouse was self-employed or owned a business.  A financial advisor can be hired jointly to help look at the financial circumstances and describe different options in a neutral way.

A child specialist is able to meet with children age 7 and older to explore how the children are coping with the separation, particular emotional and developmental needs, and to give neutral advice on how the children would be able to adapt to different parenting plans.  The child specialist would meet with the children alone and provide neutral feedback and guidance to the parents.  Current research tells us that it is very important for children to be able to make their voices heard during the divorce process.

A communication specialist can be particularly helpful for separating couples who have a history of poor communication.  Recognizing that there are many reasons that lead to communication breakdown (ie. anger and hurt feelings, depression or mental illness, personality disorders), a neutral coach can help keep people focused on their issues and avoid unnecessary obstacles to resolution.

Browse our Resources page to review the different financial advisors, psychologists, and social workers who partner with the Family Centre to add value to the services we provide to clients.