Dr. Jodi Peary

After practicing family law for years, I came to realize that even the friendliest divorce cases result in a significant amount of heartache, child adjustment issues, and financial damage. In order to make social change, I knew I needed to make a personal change. I loved my work but felt there was more I could do. So I decided to become involved in collaborative family law practices as a mediator and a custody conciliator. I believed that by integrating the structures of family law and family systems with a compassionate and caring heart, I could do the most good. What I discovered was while it achieved better results, I still felt there was more we could do for individuals, parents, and children. That’s why I decided to pursue my doctorate in psychology. I am now able to reduce the financial damage, child adjustment issues, and heartache of marital conflict while also decreasing the statistic of divorced families experiencing future divorces. I take a “listen-first” approach and make the time to learn about the history of a family and the change they are going through. I understand how hard change can be for families and navigating those conversations with empathy is a priority for me. There is much at stake when individuals and families are experiencing heart ache and challenges, making the goal of supporting constructive, effective change is powerful in a most positive way for everyone involved. This is why I offer: coaching, mediation, and parent coordination and education: three tools combined creating the greatest success.