Dissolution is often the goal for those hoping to end a marriage in Ohio. Unlike a messy and unpredictable litigated divorce, dissolution is amicable and predictable. People who mutually decide to end a marriage can set the terms for property division and child custody.
In fact, they must settle those matters before they can move forward with the dissolution process. Many people on the cusp of ending a marriage find themselves disagreeing with their spouses about how to handle marital property and debts. Divorce counseling can actually help those aspiring to file for dissolution rather than litigated divorce.
What does divorce counseling entail?
There are two different types of divorce counseling. Individuals can undergo therapy on their own as individuals. Doing so is often necessary to help people heal from their trauma and learn from the issues that negatively impacted the marriage.
Couples who have already decided to end a marriage can also theoretically commit to joint divorce counseling sessions. In those sessions, they may discuss what went wrong with their marriage. However, the focus is typically on how they move forward afterward.
A counselor can learn about the needs and perspectives of both spouses. They can provide a safe space where spouses can discuss divorce issues confidentially. They can even educate the spouses about conflict-resolution tactics and ways to communicate in a healthy manner in times of intense emotions.
Divorce counseling can help spouses work through their issues so that they can agree on terms for property division and other major disagreements that could prevent them from qualifying for dissolution. Some of those skills may even carry over to help maintain a healthier co-parenting relationship and to establish better romantic partnerships in the future.
Even individual divorce counseling can sometimes help facilitate the dissolution process. If one spouse can remain calm and focus on the goal of achieving dissolution rather than a litigated divorce, that can drastically alter what happens during negotiations and the likelihood of the spouses settling their remaining disagreements.
Pursuing a dissolution in Ohio often requires careful preparation and a degree of compromise. People who know what to expect and obtain the right help can avoid common pitfalls and focus on their goal of a low-conflict dissolution instead of a frustrating and protracted litigated divorce.