Part 1

• Lecture: Divorce in Perspective

• Divorce in Historic Perspective

• Reasons for Divorce, Divorce Adjustment Factors, Stressors, & Predictors

• The Brain, Emotions, and Divorce Behaviors

• Overview of the Stages of Divorce: Emotional, Physical, Legal, Rebuilding

• Lecture: Emotional Divorce and Therapeutic Interventions

• Emotional Divorce: Disillusionment, Dissatisfaction, Alienation, Anxiety, Anguish

• Therapeutic Interventions to prepare the partners and children for divorce

• Therapy with the Leaver and Leavee: Guilt vs. Grief/Separation Distress

• Preparing partners for Physical Divorce: Avoiding Depression, Rash Behavior

Part 2

• Lecture: Physical Divorce and Therapeutic Interventions

• Separation Shock and Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior

• Children’s reaction to divorce: Minimizing harm

• Therapeutic Interventions to process loss and deal with family and friends

• Legal and Economic Divorce: Developing a Flexible Divorce Settlement

• Mediation verses Adversarial Procedure

• Lecture: Rebuilding as a Single Person

• Moving from Spouse to Single Adult

• Dealing with children and their emotional reaction

• Avoiding “Rebounding” and preparing for a new intimate relationship

• Divorce Adjustment Therapy and Divorce Adjustment Groups.

• Problematic Themes and Solutions (Iowa Statewide Divorce Study)

Learning Objectives

1. to describe the stressors leading to divorce
2. to review the predictors of divorce
3. to describe the emotions and brain processes involved in relationship deterioration
4. to outline the stages of divorce
5. to describe the effects of divorce on children
6. to describe factors related to divorce adjustment
7. to delineate therapeutic interventions during each stage of divorce
8. to describe the legal issues involved in divorce.