• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia

Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia

The Better Way to Divorce

  • Home
  • Find A Professional
  • About Us
  • Learn More
    • The Process
    • Areas of Service
      • Divorce
      • Pre-Marital Agreements
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Post Divorce Issues
      • Gray Divorce
    • Low Bono Program
    • FAQS
    • Blog
    • Events
  • Contact Us
  • For Professionals
    • Member Benefits
    • Board Members
    • Member Resources
  • Member Login
  • Show Search
Hide Search

About Us

About Us

WHO WE ARE

Welcome to the Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia (CPNV), the largest Collaborative Practice group in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are a group of like-minded, collaboratively trained attorneys, mental health professionals (serving as coaches and child specialists) and financial professionals who adhere to the highest legal and ethical requirements for the practice of Collaborative Law.   Our professional members must meet ongoing professional training requirements and must maintain all qualifications for membership in our practice group (Virginia Collaborative Professionals, VaCP).  Our members attend monthly educational programs to enhance knowledge and skills, and to share best practices.  CPNV is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

WHAT WE DO

We offer individuals an opportunity to resolve disputes outside of court.  We help you settle matters related to family matters, such as separation, divorce, custody, support, division of property, and premarital agreements, within a model of respect, integrity and honesty.  The Collaborative team of professionals help families and other partnerships through often complex legal, emotional and financial processes and decisions. Our goal is to facilitate the transition to a healthy separation and dissolution of partnerships without litigation, to minimize the negative effects on children and to create a framework for ongoing positive interaction in co-parenting of children.

Roles of Our Professionals

Attorneys

Attorneys listed on this site have all completed special training in Collaborative Divorce. Each partner will each have a separate attorney in the Collaborative Process. Importantly, at the outset of the process, you and your attorney will sign a Collaborative Participation Agreement. This Agreement states that you and your lawyer commit to staying out of court. If you decide to go to court, you will have to hire a new attorney.

Even though litigation is off the table, your attorney is still working for you and serving as your advisor in the Collaborative Process. They offer legal advice in a neutral fashion and help guide discussions within each team meeting. Your attorney will provide advice as you and your spouse address all of the legal issues related to family matters such as time-sharing with your children, financial support, and apportioning assets and liabilities.

Once you and your spouse have reached an agreement on all issues, the attorneys will work together to draft the final Agreement and the court paperwork to accomplish an uncontested divorce. 

Financial Neutrals

Financial Neutrals in our organization are financial professions such as Certified Public Accountants, Certified Financial Planners, and Certified Divorce Financial Advisors trained in the Collaborative Divorce Process.  The primary role of a Financial Neutral is to ensure you and your partner feel informed to make decisions about your financial future.  The Financial Neutral works with both partners to gather financial records and information about assets, liabilities, and cash flow, and then present that information to the team so that there can be a realistic discussion about financial goals and options for the future. Their work may also include the creation of monthly budgets and developing asset division scenarios. As needed, the Financial Neutral can offer information to the team about evaluating tax implications and more complex assets, such as business interests or stock portfolios. They always play a neutral role and are not advocating for either partner.

Mental Health Coaches and Child Specialists

Mental Health Coaches and Child Specialists in our organization are licensed psychologists, social workers, counselors who have experience working with couples, families, and children, and are trained in the Collaborative Divorce process.  They serve your team in many different and essential capacities. Commonly Mental Health Coaches serve to facilitate communication between you and your spouse during the Process.  There might be one neutral coach, or you may decide to bring on two Mental Health Coaches to support to you and your spouse individually.  Mental Health Coaches typically attend all team meetings and help the group maintain focus on the goals of you and your spouse, and provide support in between meetings as needed. Mental Health Coaches also offer guidance to parents about how to communicate with their children about the divorce and help work through a parenting plan.

If you have minor children, you and your spouse may decide to bring a Child Specialist on to the team. A Child Specialist typically has expertise in child development and routinely works with children of divorce. A Child Specialist serves in a neutral role and may be asked to talk with a child and potentially share input from the child with the team. Child Specialist offer insights about co-parenting and what custodial arrangements might work best for the family.

Neither the Mental Health Professional nor the Child Specialist are providing therapy services in the Collaborative Divorce Process. Their role will be to help you and your spouse process emotional challenges as they arise and ensure you and your spouse can work as productively as possible to attain a peaceful resolution.

Find a Collaborative Professional

You may review a list of professionals and their profiles by clicking on the drop down below.

Copyright © 2025 · Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia · All Rights Reserved

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us