Dr. Susan Zaidel, Clinical Psychologist, Divorce Mediator, Divorce Coach and Parenting Coordinator
Dr. Susan Zaidel is an American-educated clinical psychologist (Ph.D., 1970, University of California, Los Angeles) who has been living in Israel since 1970. Dr. Zaidel went to New York for training in divorce mediation (1986) and became one of the pioneers of the mediation movement in Israel. She has written several books about divorce mediation in Israel and has published articles in professional journals.
Susan is a Certified Family Mediator and a Certified Supervisor of Family Mediators. Since 1986 she has helped hundreds of divorcing couples reach agreement and avoid costly litigation.
Another service Susan offers is that of a Divorce Coach for couples who chose to use the Collaborative Divorce process – a multidisciplinary model involving two collaborative lawyers and other professionals as needed.
THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY DR. SUSAN ZAIDEL
MEDIATION
Mediation is a method for resolving disputes and for helping divorcing families to work out an amicable divorce agreement so that they can avoid expensive and unpleasant court litigation. Susan works with divorcing couples as a neutral and objective mediator who helps them resolve the issues in dispute in a cooperative way through discussion and negotiation. She helps parents understand the needs of children so they will make decisions in their best interests. Susan guides couples through the process but the couple makes the final decisions regarding care of the children, division of property and financial arrangements.
She mediates a wide range of family disputes in addition to those stemming from separation and divorce – inheritance, family business, care of aging parents, cut-offs among family members, prenuptial agreements and any other kind of family conflict. A new service is Marital Mediation - using mediation to resolve financial and other conflicts in the marriage that enables couples to remain married and to live in peace.
DIVORCE COACH in the COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE PROCESS
Susan works with collaborative lawyers in an interdisciplinary method of assisting couples to resolve divorce issues out of court. In this method, known as “collaborative divorce”, each spouse is represented by a lawyer who is committed to working towards an agreement out of court. In this model, the spouses are also assisted by a Divorce Coach who helps with the emotional “fallout” that inevitably is part of the separation process. In this role as a divorce expert, Susan also assists the clients in creating an appropriate parenting plan that will meet the needs of the children.
For more information about “Collaborative Divorce”, here is the website of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals: www.collaborativepractice.com
The website for the group that Susan works with is called Divorce Peacefully: www.israeldivorce.co.il
PARENTING COORDINATOR
Separated and divorced parents who are in constant conflict with one another may need the services of a court-appointed Parenting Coordinator to help them with ongoing issues involving their children. Susan has served as a Parenting Coordinator for several high-conflict families. The job of a PC is to reduce the level of animosity and improve the communication and problem-solving skills of the parents for the benefit of their children.
THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS FOR COUPLES CONSIDERING DIVORCE
Relationship Review for the Undecided
Relationship Review is a service for couples, whether living together or apart, who are not yet certain that their relationship has ended, but neither are they sure it can continue. Examining the relationship with a professional marriage counselor may be helpful in understanding the difficulties and in considering the options for the future.
Marriage Closure Therapy
This is a brief intervention (4-6 sessions) to help divorcing couples to come to terms with a one-sided divorce decision. Understanding the feelings and motivations of the other spouse and expressing recognition of the positives in one another and in the marriage helps put closure on the couple relationship and enables them to "let go".
Dr. Zaidel’s services as a clinical psychologist are described in : www.dr-susan.co.il
Dr. Zaidel may be reached by phone or email:
0587500765 099582860
susan.zaidel@gmail.com
