KidSide Newsletter June 2022

The Collaborative Process: A Peaceful Way to Avoid the Rabbit Hole of the Court System

By Sarah Zabel, Retired Circuit Court Judge sz@mazeresolutions.com

The cliché “teamwork makes the dreamwork” is never truer than when it comes to the collaborative process. Without the collaborative process, a family may be caught up in the rabbit hole of the court system with no eject button.

After a long journey in which a dedicated group of professionals sought a change in the law regarding the installment of a collaborative law system into Florida courts, the Florida Legislature enacted the “Collaborative Law Process Act,” Fla. Stat. §§ 61.55-61.58. The statute is aimed at “create[ing] a uniform system of practice for the collaborative law process in this state.” The Florida Supreme Court then promulgated the rules when practicing as collaborative practitioners (Florida Collaborative Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.745).

Summed up, the collaborative law process involves a team of professionals who join forces to peacefully help a family resolve all their issues and, as a result, avoid costly litigation. On my end, the inspiration for collaborative law derived from my experiences serving as a family court judge. I saw first-hand the dismantling of families who could not successfully navigate through the court system. It was difficult for me to make the ultimate decision regarding the status of a family when I knew that family would never be the same again.

What About The Children?

Dr. Ronda Fuchs, Psy.D, Accredited Collaborative Family Law Facilitator ronda.fuchs@gmail.com

Divorce is a “death,” a “loss” not only for the parents but for the children as well. Each will experience the grief process in a different way, and the children are the last to begin. The intensity and duration of their grieving will be influenced by the level of conflict during the divorce.

Children grieve how life used to be. They have difficulty accepting that their parents are no longer together, and that their family is no longer a single unit. They may fantasize about reconciliation and be disappointed when it does not happen. Besides dealing with the loss of the family unit, children also have the added stress of living in 2 separate homes, with 2 separate rules, and moving themselves and their belongings back and forth. And being exposed to the arguments and conflicts between the parents, intensifies their stress. Children are damaged when their parents fight in front of them, over them, and through them.

Save The Date

Mark your calendar for our upcoming Havana Nights Nostalgia event taking place on October 18th starting at 5:30pm with drinks, music, cigars, and passed hors d’oeuvres until 7:30pm. Tickets on sale soon, but you can also guarantee your tickets to Havana Nights Nostalgia, and all future KidSide events by becoming a partner today!

Your Donations At Work

I am so thankful and appreciative for the services my family received funded by KidSide! I was awarded therapeutic supervised visitations with my child, and I am so happy with everything. My therapist was an angel; so professional and kind. The way she interacted with us; she made my daughter feel comfortable. Having a supervisor there to help me reunify with my child was much needed and I am glad it happened that way. Without the helpful supervision, perhaps it would have been rough on my daughter. The therapist’s presence made my child feel safe. Unfortunately, my relationship with my daughter’s mother is strained, and the therapist’s coordination with my co-parent facilitated contact that I was not permitted to have without her help.

The virtual sessions went smoothly. The therapist was great at allowing my child and I to interact without interruption, and to behave naturally. If necessary, she facilitated a game so we could play and have fun together. She would participate with us from time to time, too. She was such a big part of improving our relationship.

Having no cost for the therapy was a tremendous blessing to me! I come from being homeless; struggling and trying to get back on my feet. I was told originally; I would have to pay for Court ordered services. I sincerely appreciate the funding provided by KidSide for these free services at a time when contact with my child would be unaffordable.

The most important thing is that the services were appropriate and helpful to my daughter. My child has already been through a lot and it is not fair to make her suffer. The therapist made sure, most of all, that my daughter was not mentally harmed, in any way, by the contact. That, I appreciate, more than anything.

– S.R.

Get Involved With Give Miami Day

Donate Your Time To KidSide

Do you want to make in impact in your community? KidSide is always looking for energetic volunteers to join one of our fantastic committees that help power the KidSide organization. Most committees meet once per month, virtually, and are a terrific way for you to make a difference for low-income families and children right here in our own neighborhoods. Find out more about the different committees you can join on the KidSide website.

Meet Our Diamond Partner

We want to take a moment to recognize KidSide Diamond Partner, Shechter & Everett, LLP.

Shechter & Everett, LLP is a boutique firm specializing in forensic accounting, litigation consulting services and business valuations from our offices in sunny South Florida. The firm focuses on providing exceptional service and efficient solutions for its clients by communicating clearly and producing effective, innovative presentations of financial evidence in the form of reports, exhibits and visual aids.

The support Shecter and Everett, LLP provide to KidSide allows us to fund a variety of services such as family therapy, drug testing, parenting coordination, DNA testing, and much more to low-income families in our Miami-Dade community.

Thanks To Our Partners

Thank you to all of our existing partners for their continued support of KidSide. We also want to welcome our newest Gold partner, Naderpour and Associates, P.A., as well as Adelmis Bohigas-Naderpour, P.A., who joined as Silver partner.

For more information, please reach out to Adelmis Bohigas-Naderpour, Esq., Executive Board Chair of KidSide at abnaderpour@abnlawgroup.com

Support the work of Family Court Services by donating to KidSide!

KidSide, Inc.
14261 SW 120 Street #103-552
Miami, FL 33186
Telephone: (305) 908.1126
Email: marian@kidsidemiami.org