8100: Divorce: Making the Break

About the Course:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially psychologists, counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about information regarding the process of divorce, and understanding of the emotional impact and the process of coping. Whether unfamiliar or familiar with some of the concepts involved in this material, you can benefit from information in this course.
Following the death of their 5-month old son, David Bell and his wife’s marriage fell apart. They decided to divorce amicably, but as the divorce process progressed, it slowly took on a life of its own and spiraled out of control. The divorce and post-divorce conflict lasted five years and cost the Bells over $250,000 in attorney, accountant, mediator and therapist fees. It was an education in and of itself. Emotionally (and financially) depleted by his daily divorce battles, David Bell began searching for a better way. He combed the books and literature available on divorce and found many written by legal and psychology professionals. While informative, these books did not offer quick, concise answers to his pressing questions and concerns. So on his journey through the divorce maze, Bell began amassing a wealth of valuable information from attorneys, therapists, mediators, and dozens of friends and acquaintances. The result is Divorce: Making the Break, a book born of his own personal experience in the system. Bell offers an “I have been there” viewpoint that helps to alleviate fear of the unknown, to settle the situation down, to focus the divorcing parties on moving forward constructively and with integrity rather than acting out destructively, and, above all, to put children first.

Divorce: Making the Break carefully and compassionately tours the divorce process from the very first considerations one has when contemplating divorce through getting back on one’s feet once the divorce is completed. Along the way, the reader is advised about ways of controlling anger and not demonizing the divorcing partner; putting the concerns of children first; avoiding destructive, warring attitudes; equitably dealing with child custody matters; choosing a divorce forum (mediation or litigation); finding good, honorable legal representation; working with judges and accountants; and putting personal lives back together after the trauma of divorce.

Author

Bell, David

About the Authors:

David Bell is a composer of film and television scores whose many credits include such popular television series as Murder, She Wrote and Star Trek: Voyager. He is also the author of Getting the Best Score for Your Film, a book that was highly praised for its clear, sharp writing and comprehensive study of the subject. Five years in the making, David Bell brings this same clarity, expansive research and personal experience to Divorce: Making the Break.

Course Objectives:

1. To be able to better understand the destructive and constructive aspects of divorce

2. To be able to understand the features of emotional violence in divorce

3. To more clearly understand the complexities of the divorce process

4. To explore the process of coping following divorce