The staff at The Center for Divorce Recovery can help you move from merely surviving to actively thriving.

You're going through a marital breakdown, you already know that divorce can be a bitter pill to swallow. "People feel a tremendous sense of loss," says Dr. Chet Mirman, a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of The Center for Divorce Recovery. "It's a loss of family, a loss of security, and, importantly, a loss of faith that love can last forever."

The Center for Divorce Recovery can help. Founded in 1994, the Center's mission is to provide the highest quality of care in assisting individuals and families to recover from the emotional and relational trauma of divorce. Specialization is the key ingredient, says Mirman: "We were surprised to observe that, despite the fact that roughly half of all marriages end in divorce, very few therapists specialize in divorce-related issues. That's why we started the Center."

The staff of psychologists, clinical social workers, and other mental health professionals have had a wide range of life experiences -- including divorce and other losses. As a result of their own personal growth work, the Center's therapists are highly attuned to the special needs of individuals and families going through the divorce recovery process. "They've developed a deepened sensitivity to the 'inner experience' of divorce and emotional pain," says Mirman.

The therapists work with adults, adolescents, children, and families. "The clients we treat often come into therapy in a survival mode," explains Rick Tivers, a licensed clinical social worker and co-founder of the Center. "We feel it's our mission to assist people in a move from survival to a life of thriving, self-empowerment, and self-love."

All of the Center's services are geared to the divorce recovery process. Clients can choose from different levels of care, rang ing from supportive counseling to intensive individual psychotherapy and highly interactive groups. Groups for children are also available and can be very helpful, says Mirman. "Children of divorce often experience feelings of shame, guilt, fear, and anger," he says. "When they meet with other children, they learn that these feelings are normal." The Center also offers custody evaluation and mediation services.

Clients can access the Center's services at any stage of their divorce. Some of the negative emotions can be overwhelming, says Mirman, adding that fear is the single largest deterrent to working through the pain and loss caused by divorce. "It can inhibit the natural tendency within all of us to grow and move towards healthier ways of functioning," he says. "Once individuals feel safe enough in their therapy to face their fears, they can begin to 'digest' their unfinished business -- and take back control of their lives." And once the "digestion" process has begun, the bitter pill of divorce is much easier to swallow.

To arrange a consultation for therapy, evaluation or mediation, contact
Rick Tivers, L.C.S.W., or Chet Mirman, Ph.D.

• "Should we stay together for the sake of the kids?"
• "My divorce is over, but I'm still upset and depressed. How do I move on?"

• "How do I cooperate with my ex-wife when she continually sabotages my efforts?"
• "How do I trust my ex? It seems like I am constantly learning information that causes me to be suspicious of her motives."
• "What can I do to get my ex to honor his responsibilities?"