Center For Cooperative Divorce

Building Bridges in the Separation Process

We would like to introduce you to the Center for Cooperative Divorce. The co-founders, Dana Schutz, a family therapist, and Irving Zaroff, an attorney and family therapist, have been working with families dealing with the difficulties of divorce for the past 15 years. What became apparent in this work was the impact of the divorce process itself. Litigation is an adversarial process and often triggers hostile and damaging responses to an already fragile system. We have found that by establishing a creative and harmonious environment conflict can be transformed into cooperative resolution. With this in mind the Center for Cooperative Divorce was conceived as a mediation alternative to court battles.

Mediation is primarily for couples who desire to minimize the costs of divorce, provide a healthy, supportive environment for their children, and create a pragmatic divorce agreement that will be sustained over time. In our approach, couples meet with us as a team. By utilizing the diverse expertise and backgrounds of two mediators, clients are offered a unique opportunity to create solutions to very difficult issues.

The mediation team brings a breadth of experience and knowledge to the process. Professional and practical experience in law, accounting, business operations, and facilitating interpersonal relationships with families, parents, children, couples and individuals, are among some of the special skills offered by the mediation team.

Our mediation philosophy is an extension of our work the last 15 years which included the formation of KIDSCOPE, a parent education/training program, CRYSTAL RIVER, a non-profit community mental health clinic, and the coordination and supervision of the counseling program for a local elementary school district. We help to build bridges so that couples will honor agreements rather than burn bridges which motivate ongoing battles, even after a judgment is imposed.

At the Center for Cooperative Divorce we know the divorce process is scary and overwhelming for some. Trust and confidence in the professionals you engage is important.