DIVORCE COACH/COUNSELING – SANFORD M. PORTNOY, PH.D.

Sanford M. Portnoy, Ph.D. is Director of The Center for the Study of Psychology and Divorce at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.  He is a nationally recognized expert in the use of psychological interventions to reduce the emotional impact and harm of divorce, and for teaching lawyers the skills to effectively manage difficult and highly emotional clients.  He has presented invited addresses at a number of national lawyers conferences, has provided workshops and institutes for lawyers and judges around the country, and has written for a number of family law and psychology publications, including a regularly featured series of articles for The American Journal of Family Law.   He has been recognized by the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association for "his contributions to advancing the field of family law," and his firm, Portnoy Associates, provides client management consultation and divorce coaching among its services.  Dr. Portnoy is the author of the Family Lawyer Guide to Building Successful Client Relationships, published by the ABA in 2000.  He maintains an active clinical practice in Newton, Massachusetts and has served as President of the Massachusetts Psychological Association and on the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Portnoy can be contacted at smportnoy@comcast.net or 617-965-2147.  His website is www.portnoyassociates.com

COUNSELING - FAMILY ASSOCIATES OF MERRIMACK VALLEY

Family Associates is an interdisciplinary private group practice established in 1981. They have 13 in-house clinicians and offer a complete range of psychotherapeutic services. Some of their areas of specialization include; Couples and Family, Separation and Divorce, Parenting, Children & Adolescents, Women's Issues.

Family Associates is located at 201 Chelmsford Street, Chelmsford, MA 01824. Contact Elisabeth Andrews or Joel Siegel at 978-256-1467.

COUNSELING - RONALD E. ZAGAJA, LICSW, LMFT, BCD

Ron Zagaja is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has been a practicing clinician for over 30 years, specializing in counseling with adults, children, families and couples. Ron was one of the first Certified Divorce Mediators in Massachusetts and he continues to help couples deal with the difficult issues of separation and divorce.

Ron's office is located at the Andover Counseling Center, Chestnut Green, Building #565, Rte.114, North Andover, MA 01845. He can be contacted at 978-682-1579 or at his website www.andovercounseling.com.

LEGAL - HOWARD I. GOLDSTEIN

Howard I. Goldstein is a partner in the Newton law firm of Rosenberg Freedman and Goldstein, and limits his law practice to civil litigation, with special interests in the areas of divorce, probate and trust litigation. He has also received advanced training as a mediator and as a collaborative lawyer, and provides mediation and collaborative law services in family law cases.

He served for more than ten years as an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University and its Law School, and is a frequent lecturer at continuing education programs for lawyers under the sponsorship of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. (MCLE) and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and Suffolk University School of Law on divorce law and topics relating to civil litigation. His most recent teaching assignments included chairing a program by MCLE entitled "Psychology for Lawyers" and continuing education workshops at Boston University and Boston College Graduate Schools of Social Work entitled "Divorce Law for Mental Health Professionals."

Mr. Goldstein has served as a member of Hearing Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, on the Board of Trustees of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council. He is also a member of the Democratic City Committee of the City of Newton and has been deeply involved in other community and political activities in the City of Newton for over 25 years.

Mr. Goldstein is a 1969 graduate of Brandeis University and a 1973 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
For more information see Mr. Goldstein’s website: www.hgoldstein.com

LEGAL - ATTORNEY LYNDA J. ROBBINS

Lynda Robbins is a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator. She has been practicing law for over 20 years, specializing in divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation and parenting plans, and post-divorce issues. Lynda has also served as Guardian ad Litem in family and estate matters. The focus of Lynda's practice is family law settlement. She is committed to assisting families through the difficult time of divorce in the most constructive manner possible. Mediation and Collaborative Law provide the tools to accomplish that goal.

Lynda's office is located at 11 Summer Street, Chelmsford, MA 01824. She can be contacted at 978-256-8178 or email at ljrobbesq@aol.com.

LEGAL - ATTORNEY KATHLEEN EARNSHAW

Kate Earnshaw is a collaborative lawyer and a family law litigator. She has been practicing law for over 14 years focusing on family law including divorce, child support, property division, custody, modification and enforcement of orders. Kate has recently made alternative dispute resolution a part of her practice. Through the use of the collaborative law process, she is committed to helping clients avoid some of the emotional and financial stress associated with the divorce process. Collaborative Law is a beneficial process to help avoid the war of divorce in court. It also helps to maintain the co-parenting relationship after the divorce. She is licensed to practice law in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Kate’s office is located at 35 East Pearl Street, Nashua, NH 03060. She may be contacted at 603-882-3600 or email at KMENHLAW@aol.com.

MEDIATION - DIANE NEUMANN & ASSOCIATES

Diane Neumann & Associates is a full service divorce mediation firm. Founder Daine Neumann began her mediation practice in 1981 and is considered one of the foremost mediators in the country. The firm specializes in mediating legal, financial and parenting issues. Their staff of professionals includes an on-site psychologist, Dr. Lynn Cooper, who is a specialist in children's adjustment to divorce and successful parenting arrangements. The firm's goal is to help you make informed decisions, conserve your resources and minimize emotional upheaval during your divorce.

Diane Neumann & Associates is located at 345 Boylston Street (Route 9), Suite 304, Newton, MA 02459. For further information call 617-964-7485 or email them at divorcemed@aol.com . Visit their website at www.divorcemed.com.

MEDIATION - JANET MILLER WISEMAN, LICSW

Janet Miller Wiseman is one of the longest established divorce and family mediators in Massachusetts. She helped to co-spearhead a paradigm shift from adversarial negotiation in Massachusetts divorce to a much more usual expectation of cooperative settlement of disputes through mediation and negotiation. Janet co-founded the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and was president for two years.

Janet has over 25 years experience in helping parties understand the requirements of divorce and in helping them develop creative solutions to co-parenting, resource sharing and asset division. We refer clients to divorce mediation and we coach them during the divorce mediation process, review their agreements and help them file in Probate Court.

Janet and staff additionally meet with high conflict couples pre- or post-divorce to settle differences through “parent coordination.” Janet designed an intervention and published a book Short-Term Decision Making for Couples and Families in Crisis, an intervention that helps indecisive couples make the most mutual decision possible about the future direction of their marriage or relationship before beginning a divorce process.

Janet is readily accessible to her collaborators to dialogue about cases. She helps clients and colleagues develop creative and fair alternatives for parenting, financial and property division. With 25 years of experience, Janet frequently dialogues with colleagues about the art and science of mediation process, successful models of mediation and ways in which to manage mental health and behavioral disturbances within the mediation process. She can be contacted at Millerwise@aol.com or 781-861-9847. Her website is www.mediationboston.com