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WHAT’S A DIVORCE COACH?

With Sarah Roth   |   August 26, 2021

 
When navigating a high-conflict divorce, Divorce Coaches can serve as an advocate, navigator and source of information and support


 
Divorce isn’t a death sentence. In fact, Divorce Coaching is available to help people move forward, offer guidance on tough decisions, remove obstacles, and provide a sounding board to help those experiencing divorce avoid some of the common pitfalls associated with the process.
 
To learn more about the field of Divorce Coaching, we spoke to Sarah Roth, a long-time member of SMMC who—after her personal experience handling a high-conflict divorce when her kids were 1 and 3—decided to help support other moms in their journey. Today, Sarah runs a divorce coaching practice and is a Certified Divorce Coach (CDC).
 
What is the difference between an attorney and a divorce coach?
An attorney provides legal advice through the divorce process, ensuring that you know your rights. They advocate for you to get you the best possible result. 
 
The American Bar Association defines Divorce Coaching as “a flexible, goal-oriented process designed to support, motivate, and guide people going through divorce to help them make the best possible decisions for their future, based on their particular interests, needs, and concerns.”
 
A divorce coach acts as your thinking partner through the process of divorce. They save you time and money by helping you be prepared and organized. Often, divorce coaches and attorneys work together to support their clients. I always work with my clients to ensure they are prepared with what they need when meeting with their attorney which, in the end, enables them to present as a prepared and thoughtful client. 
 
Divorce is a long process, and your divorce coach is there to support you throughout the journey, as a guide, but not as an attorney or therapist. A coach provides a safe, non-judgemental space to get down to what really matters and what you need to focus on.


 
Why is divorce coaching needed?
Divorce coaching helps provide you with clarity about how to best move through a challenging process. My goal as a divorce coach is to help you come out of the other side of the divorce process knowing you brought your best self to the table and took the high road—that you have no regrets about how you navigated the process.
 
When engaging in a high-conflict divorce, what are the first things to consider?
One of the most important things you should do is put together your team of experts. A divorce coach can help recommend experts for you to meet with (attorneys, therapists, etc.) that they feel are a good match for your needs.


 
How do you recommend choosing an attorney?
I typically recommend several attorneys for my clients to meet with so they can decide who they feel most comfortable with. For instance, some may need a shark in court while others are more oriented to the settlement. It varies on a case-by-case basis depending on the needs of the client.

Sarah Roth is a long-time member of SMMC. She lives in Terra Linda with her 11-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. In 2010, she went through a high-conflict divorce. She found herself working fulltime as a single parent with full custody, trying to juggle it all while her custody battle waged on for years. At the time, she didn't know anyone else going through a divorce. Then, about eight years ago, Sarah started to support other moms going through divorce, mainly through SMMC, and found it powerful to help others on their journey. Through lessons learned in her own divorce, she found she could build an amazing life of her own and help others achieve joy and fulfilment in their lives. While divorce is incredibly difficult, it can also be a new beginning, a journey where you find yourself again. After helping moms over the years, Sarah decided to pursue formal training and received her certification as a CDC Certified Divorce Coach.
Learn more on Sarah's website or contact her at 
sarah@californiadivorcecoach.com

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