Setting Goals

Couples often have expectations and goals they share at the time of their marriage which change and develop as time passes. As a collaborative practitioner it is important to help clients frame their short and long term goals for what they hope to achieve through divorce. It is important for collaborative practitioners to assist clients reflect upon their goals. It is also important to acknowledge that mental health professionals have a far deeper skill base to assist clients find and set their goals.
Several years ago I met a client who I assisted to reach agreement with his wife moving forward where both he and the wife were able at early stage to crystalise their goals. The advantage to this couple was that they only required the assistance of the collaborative team to explore the various options that flowed from the goals they had identified. In my client’s case it was a question of continuing a relationship with the children whilst he continued to develop a business that he had been operating for some years. The wife wished to be financially secure whilst continuing her primary care role for the children and to develop her own career path. This case was an example of where goals were easily identified. Often clients goals are less clear and can be greatly assisted by a mental health professional to determine what those goals look like. It is important that collaborative professionals work with their clients in the early stages of the collaborative process to ensure that goals are properly identified and developed.