The reality is that those going through divorce need support to successfully get through the process. Yet, up until recently, the notion of employing a “coach” for divorce issues has been a foreign concept for so many experiencing this painful process.

Not anymore – and not if one opts to work with any of the numerous divorce coaches being trained by Randall Cooper, owner of the CDC Certified Divorce Coach® training center based in Tampa, Fla.

Cooper, who is a Supreme Court of Florida Certified Family Mediator, as well as a certified divorce financial analyst and a certified financial planner, said that, even though he had a lot of experience dealing with divorce and its financial ramifications, the actual idea of divorce coaching didn’t come to him until he took training as a life coach.

“I was really involved in the process, but there was always something missing that I just couldn’t put my finger on,” Cooper said. “I looked around and realized that there was no actual profession known as divorce coaching. So I created it.”

Even though divorce coaching is relatively new, the American Bar Association has not only defined it, but has also officially recognized its implementation as a contributing element in today’s divorce court.

A divorce coach does what coaches in other aspects of life do: They help prepare participants for the actual game.

In the case of divorce, that preparation often includes sorting through difficult emotions prior to visiting an attorney. Doing so gives the attorney more time to work directly on achieving a client’s goals for the divorce instead of working as a highly-paid therapist. 

“A divorce coach helps turn the story of the divorce into the business of getting the divorce,” Cooper explained. “Once a client is part of the business of their divorce, the attorney can better represent them. A divorce coach helps clients gain more clarity in regards to what they want to accomplish from the divorce, and gives them confidence in what they are doing with their attorney. The divorce coach helps them shape their vision for what their lives will look like after divorce.”

Cooper provides e-training and classes for a variety of professionals seeking to add certified divorce coaching to their resumes. The professions of Cooper’s students range from counselors to therapists to accountants and financial planners. They live and work across the globe. A recent sample class had students from Florida, Los Angeles, London, the Netherlands and New York, collectively working through the course developed by Cooper and his wife, Pegotty Cooper.

The training is a fully-interactive four-month electronic course.

“The conversations going on in this course make it seem as if everyone were all in the next room together,” Cooper said.

Coaching concepts are presented to the student. Every seven minutes of the course, students are asked for their thoughts on what was just presented. They are asked how the newly-presented information fits within what they already understand regarding divorce coaching. Students are challenged to personalize what they learn about divorce coaching to fit in with their main profession. Cooper then uses a series of quizzes to evaluate student comprehension.

Students also practice the roles of coach and coached divorcee.

“They practice what the coaching conversation that would go on during the divorce process is,” Cooper said.

The course also provides training for marketing. Cooper realizes that not everyone who wants to become a divorce coach is a natural at marketing. In fact, he notes that few people actually are.
One tidbit of information many students are surprised to learn is one that Cooper considers essential to the success of a divorce coach.

He points to several university studies documenting the fact that people in stressful situations – such as divorce – often unknowingly also experience a temporary drop in their intelligence quotient or IQ. The studies measured the IQ of CEOs of major companies during high-stress decision making. As it turns out, their collective IQ scores dropped significantly just when they needed to be at their best. Cooper explained that the same applies to people in the midst of divorce. When a divorce coach identifies this trend and then works toward slowing down the decision-making process to give the client time to re-focus, the coach is able to facilitate a lower stress level, giving clients the confidence they need to make better decisions.

“Our greatest success is that we have professionally-trained coaches all across the United States, Canada and the world who are now helping people get through the challenge of divorce,” Cooper said, adding, “This new profession that has been created is being done in a highly professional manner.”

Learn more about Randall Cooper and the CDC Certified Divorce Coach® online at www.certifieddivorcecoach.com