Divorce, custody issues, and ending relationships can be one of the most difficult things that we face. The life we thought we would have is gone, and we are often left with anger, hurt, grief, and fear. This is a very hard time to try to work out logistics related to finances, custody, parenting, and the other painful parts of disentangling our lives from someone we once loved.
Unfortunately, the court system in the United States is not well-suited to supporting parents, children, and individuals who are facing divorce, separation, and the end of a relationship.
Dr. Gish has walked many individuals through the grief, pain, and struggles of trying to arrange a life in the midst of and after a divorce. She has, sadly, seen the ways that courts are often inadequate to do this in a way that protects and prioritizes children, and that is fair to the adult parties involved.
If you are facing a divorce and/or custody challenge, Dr. Gish works with selected couples to come to agreements on difficult issues such as parenting time, financial arrangements, divorce agreements, and the logistics of moving on. If you would like to come to an agreement together and have an advocate who can hear your perspective and find a middle ground, this might be for you. This will only work if both parties are interested in coming to an agreement. If you are interested in individual coaching or psychotherapeutic support related to divorce and custody issues, you may schedule an individual psychotherapy session here.
Dr. Gish meets with parties individually, and then together, over a series of several weeks or months (depending on the situation) to try to come to an arrangement that works for everyone, that is fair, and that prioritizes the needs of children, if they are involved. She is familiar with research on what leads to best outcomes for children and takes that into account in suggesting paths forward.
Dr. Gish also provides ongoing co-parenting therapy and support to those that desire this. Some couples agree to build the requirement of regular individual therapy or co-parenting therapy into their divorce agreements. Base rate for mediation is $200 per hour, which includes some uncompensated prep time. If prep time and out-of session work exceeds five hours, that time is also billed as well. Average hours involved in a simple mediation are 4-5, whereas more complex mediations can take up to 10-20 hours.
In addition to her training in pastoral care, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and religious studies, Dr. Gish has worked in the field of dialogue and deliberation for 25 years. She has facilitated hundreds of public forums on difficult political and community issues, developed and published discussion guides for forums and dialogues, and published research on deliberation and dialogue with outlets such as Routledge Press, the Journal of Civic Studies, or the eJournal for Public Affairs.
Lotus & Phoenix 