The Integrated Team Approach
CP Cal Celebration 7
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Excerpt: To my mind, when one steps back and takes the broadest possible view of what it is we collaborative practitioners are doing, one cannot help but be struck by the revolutionary nature of interdisciplinary practice. Although lawyers have been bringing financial experts into cases for a long time, embracing their direct work with the clients as part of a multi-disciplinary team is a new and salutary development. Mental health professionals (MHPs) working co-equally with lawyers to resolve legal cases is nothing short of a mighty tectonic shift, particularly when one considers the origins of our legal system.
Getting to the Emotional Truth of the Case
CP Cal Celebration VI
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Excerpt: People live on the level of emotional truth. They may not be conscious of this fact, they may mistakenly believe that their intellectual selves are masters of their house, but the truth is that we are governed by the more primitive parts of ourselves. Nowhere is this more clear than in the kinds of cases collaborative practitioners deal with every day. Not only do emotions tend to dictate the legal positions that people take, not only do emotions tend to govern the way people conduct themselves, but by and large people want to deal with the emotional truth of their situation, they want this part of their experience to be heard and acknowledged, even if it’s painful. It is this level of emotional truth that we need to address and communicate with and connect with, if we are to effectively fulfill our mission of helping clients get through their divorce in the best possible way.