When a husband and wife are having serious marital difficulties, they’re faced with the decision of whether to seek couples therapy or file for divorce in Virginia.

Couples therapy is an option some people have found to work well for them. A marriage and family therapist is trained to address the issues that partners face, and to help them work through their problems.

When a couple wants to avoid divorce in Virginia, they can improve the ways in which they relate to each other. Couples therapy can help with this by teaching the partners how to build healthier, more effective communication skills.

It can also guide the partners to discover creative ways to solve disagreements that are ongoing sources of conflict. The therapist may have suggestions on how to negotiate and compromise that will make it easier for the couple to live together. (more…)

When you’re raising a child with special needs, you have to devote a good part of your daily life to making sure the child receives the care necessary to make his or her life as comfortable and successful as possible.

During a Virginia child custody case, you and your spouse will need to take a great deal of care to work out a parenting plan that allows for the special needs child to continue living a full and healthy life.

There are many factors to take into consideration when working out child custody in Virginia when your child has special needs child, for example: (more…)

In every family, it takes the co-operation between the members to keep the household moving smoothly. Very often, it’s the wife who contributes most of the practical, day-to-day care for the home and children.

When you’re facing a Virginia divorce, you should keep in mind your non-monetary contributions to the household. These important jobs you did for your family can be documented and presented in a way that could help improve the outcome of your Virginia divorce case. This is particularly true if you chose being a full time mom over a career.

In cases like this, you may not have the experience necessary to easily enter the work force after your Virginia divorce, so the judge may order your ex to pay you spousal support until you get back on your feet. (more…)

Virginia child custody tends to bring out the most difficult feelings between a divorcing couple, and can cause them to behave in ways they otherwise might not. Sometimes this tension between parents leads to what is known as parental alienation.

While Virginia child custody is being determined, one parent may try to turn the children against the other parent. While this behavior is sometimes unintentional, it can also be part of a strategy to sabotage the parent-child relationship and sway the outcome of the child custody case.

There are a few ways that parental alienation can take place during a Virginia child custody case: (more…)

Divorce is an experience most women want to put behind them so they can move on with their lives. While it’s a great idea to let go of anger and grief after a Virginia divorce, you shouldn’t forget the lessons you learned from this difficult experience.

Marriages end for a reason, or a set of reasons. It’s best to take a look back at the factors in your relationship that led to its demise. Learning from divorce in this way can help you avoid repeating the conditions that cause failed marriages.

A large number of divorcees go on to marry again, and these second marriages have an even higher divorce rate than first marriages. If people made learning from divorce a priority, they may have better luck avoiding a second divorce.

For example, if you and your ex-husband held your feelings in and rarely talked about important emotional issues, this probably contributed to your divorce in Virginia. If you work on communication early in your next relationship, you may very well be able to handle things better. (more…)

Appearing in court is one of the more stressful aspects of the divorce process. People are often nervous about standing before a Virginia family court judge, and this anxiety is even more pronounced if the judge is known to be tough or challenging.

First off, it’s best to go in knowing that most judges, by nature of their position and demeanor, can be a bit intimidating. Many times, they are no-nonsense individuals who have seen and heard just about everything in their line of work, and they want to cut to the facts.

By all means, a Virginia family court judge, like anyone else, can have a bad day or a bad week. While this might make the court portion of your divorce process less pleasant, you shouldn’t assume it means your case is doomed.

The way you behave in Virginia family court has a strong impact on how you’re perceived and treated by any judge. (more…)

Parenting after divorce can be a real challenge. Many parents who have gone through a Virginia divorce carry some unspoken guilt about the break-up, even if they did not initiate it. They may wonder if staying together for the kids would have been the better road to take.

These are common concerns, but it’s important to realize that children can and do thrive in single-parent environments. While parenting after divorce can be a challenge, especially during the adjustment period following your Virginia divorce, it can also be a rewarding experience that can bring you and your children closer.

Children who grow up in a home where their parents constantly bicker or coldly avoid each other are not benefiting from the parents remaining together. In fact, you may be unwittingly sending kids the message that it’s OK to stay in a miserable relationship. (more…)

Questions about Social Security benefits after a Virginia divorce are fairly common. Some of the laws governing Social Security benefits for ex-spouses have changed in recent years, so you should be aware of what those changes are and how they may affect you.

For example, previously, a woman could not get Social Security benefits on her ex-husband’s work record unless a court had ordered that he support her (through spousal support). Now, that rule no longer applies.

If you’re 62 years of age or older, and were married to your spouse for at least 10 years, you may be able get Social Security benefits on your ex-husband’s earnings record after your Virginia divorce. If your ex-husband is eligible for benefits and you fit the above specifications and have been divorced for 2 years, you can apply for and receive them, whether or not he has yet retired and applied for benefits himself.

If you remarry before the age of 60, you generally cannot receive benefits on your ex-husband’s work record. You can however, receive Social Security benefits under your next spouse’s work record once you have been married to him for 10 years. (more…)

If you’re going through a military divorce in Virginia, you probably have a lot of questions about the laws that govern military divorce, and about some specific aspects of the process.

Being in the military offers many financial benefits, including the GI Bill. The GI Bill provides funding for tuition, housing and other expenses associated with a service person’s educational pursuits. A service member can also transfer his or her GI Bill benefits to a spouse.

If your husband has transferred GI Bill benefits for you to use toward your education, and the two of you decide to divorce, your benefits may be affected.

While a Virginia divorce itself – or your ex’s subsequent remarriage – won’t automatically disqualify you from using his GI Bill benefits, your husband retains the authority to transfer or revoke the benefits as he sees fit.

This can be a particularly difficult situation when the divorce has been acrimonious and you are not on good terms with your husband. If the GI Bill educational benefits have already been transferred, and you have a chance to make use of them, it’s wise to do so as quickly as possible. (more…)

Parenting after a Virginia divorce can present some special challenges. First, there are the obvious ramifications, such as Virginia child custody agreements. When one parent moves out or your child must relocate, the effects can be profound. Then there are daily concerns or feelings of inadequacy your child may experience, such as worry that they caused your divorce.

While some challenges come with the territory in a Virginia divorce, there are things you can do to help your child. Regardless of your feelings towards your ex, you’ll want to be positive about your child’s relationship with him. As hard as it may be, try not to make your children feel guilty for spending time with their father, and avoid showing your anger or bitterness toward your ex.

Since a Virginia divorce can definitely be a stressful time, you’ll likely find you’ll have more energy to devote to your children if you let a Newport News child custody attorney deal with the details of your case. (more…)