Collaborative Law is a team based approach to resolving family law disputes, which utilizes mental health (among other) professionals as neutral experts to facilitate the dispute resolution process.  In this work, negotiation replaces the traditional adversarial approach to separation/divorce proceedings and self determination is prioritized such that children’s and parents’ needs are kept in focus.  Specialized professional training in this work is necessary for all involved to ensure optimal outcomes for parents choosing this method of resolving disagreements that arise as their family’s needs change.