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Divorce Contemplation: Supporting Your Clients Through this Stormy Season

Saturday, November 14th, 2026   7:00 PM EST -9:00 PM EST
Carrie Mead, LCPC
$59.99 USD

This seminar explores the unique challenges facing modern marriages and the evolving landscape of divorce. As the majority of American families are now dual-income households, couples increasingly struggle with the division of household labor, parenting responsibilities, and maintaining emotional connection. These stressors have had a significant impact on relationship dynamics and present new challenges for mental health clinicians.

This seminar will help clinicians understand why women are initiating divorce at historically high levels and will explore the most common fears and barriers clients face when contemplating divorce. A clinical framework for supporting individuals and couples throughout the divorce process will also be presented.

Finally, we address special clinical considerations for particular subgroups, including gray divorce, intimate partner abuse, immigrant families, and same-sex relationships.

Participants will leave with evidence-informed strategies to enhance assessment and case conceptualization, and therapeutic interventions for clients navigating relationship distress and divorce.

About the Presenter

As a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland and South Carolina, Carrie Mead, LCPC, specializes in helping adults heal from trauma, anxiety, and complex life transitions. She offers both individual therapy and specialized group counseling for women navigating the challenges of divorce. By blending empathy and expert clinical knowledge with evidence-based techniques like CBT and mindfulness, Carrie guides her clients toward clarity and empowerment. Ultimately, she honors each client as the expert in their own life, providing the tools needed to facilitate deep and lasting growth.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Conceptualize how to support clients through divorce contemplation
  2. Describe why women are initiating divorce at historically high levels
  3. List the most common obstacles to divorce and identify special considerations for marginalized clients
  4. Conceptualize how to support clients through divorce contemplation

Agenda:

Divorce Contemplation,  by Carrie Mead, LCPC 

1)    Introduction by Carrie Mead, LCPC               (Time: 2- 3mins)

2)    Review of Divorce and Marriage Statistics              (Time: 5 mins)

a.     Breakdown of facts/ statistics of marriage- who is getting married; at what age; and why

b.     Breakdown of facts/ statistics of divorce- who is getting divorced; at what age; and why

                                          i.    Discussion points and facts about the period of ‘divorce contemplation’ that people go through before discussing divorce with their spouse

3)    Examine and Analyze Divorce Myths (Time: 10 mins)

a.     Review of the 6 most common myths about divorce; explain where and how they came to be

b.     Debunk, clarify, and reframe these myths to match reality based on the research and evidence

c.     Share antidotes / stories from clients and, if live seminar, allow time for Q& A

4)    Examine Divorce Predictors and Review principles of Gottman’s “Conflict Math”  (Time: 10 mins)

a.     Analyze Gottman’s 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse

                                          i.    Review each ‘horseman’ and alternatives for better communication and improved emotional intimacy

b.     Discuss Anger, Conflict, and Fair-fighting

                                          i.    Review conflict styles and how the impact a couple’s relationship

1.     Help clinicians identify their client’s conflict style

                                         ii.    Examine Gottman’s “conflict math ratio” and teach ways to infuse fights with positive interactions

                                       iii.    Review and discuss ways to notice emotional flooding quickly and learn how to apply strategies to reduce flooding

                                        iv.    Explore why anger is an okay emotional stance and why many clients have difficulty with this emotion

5)    Discuss and Review Historical Reasons for Divorce (Time: 5 mins)

a.     Brief overview of American history regarding women’s employment laws, voting rights, financial and educational barriers

b.     Explore the ‘hard’ reasons for Divorce or the 4 A’s of divorce

                                          i.    Abandonment, Addiction, Affairs, and Abuse

6)    Discuss and Review Modern Reasons for Divorce (Time: 10 mins)

a.     Analyze recent divorce trends and data

b.     Identify the 8 more cited ‘soft’ reasons for divorce

c.     Explore how these soft reasons have emerged and are showing up for couples in the therapy session

7)    Explore Divorce Options and Styles (Time: 5 mins)

a.     Provide Psychoeducation on divorce styles

                                          i.    Court/ litigation

                                         ii.    Mediation

                                       iii.    Family Law

                                        iv.    Collaborative Divorce

                                         v.    Divorce Coaches

8)    Discuss Challenges and Barriers to Divorce for the General Population (Time: 10 mins)

a.     Identify and discuss the 4 most common challenges and barriers to seeking divorce

                                          i.    Review these challenges in light of divorce myths, previously discussed

                                         ii.    Teach practical skills to clinicians so they can identify and address these barriers in session

9)    Review Special Considerations and Circumstances for Marginalized populations (Time: 10 mins)

a.     Examine 5 of the most common marginalized groups of people who may have unique barriers and challenges to seeking a divorce

b.     Identify ways for clinicians to validate and education these clients on their specific issues and challenges

10) Explore and Apply 8 Strategies for clinicians to use when working with clients who are contemplating divorce.  (Time: 15 mins)

a.     Teach practical strategies and areas of clinical work for clinicians to in their therapy sessions

11)  Question/ Answers- either live or in chat  (Time: 10 mins)

 

 

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0122.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0275.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.