Women and Divorce

The
breakup of a marriage can be an overwhelmingly stressful event, fraught
with uncertainty, upheaval, and loss of control. Women going through
divorce have a unique set of challenges to contend with including
financial insecurity, potentially re-entering the job market, and
juggling the responsibilities of children and career. The emotional toll
of a divorce can be particularly difficult for women who face the
challenge of integrating new and old roles as they struggle to rebuild
their identity. While getting a divorce is an extremely painful
experience, it can also be a time of tremendous personal growth and
development.

An
important part of the healing process for women involves learning to
honor feelings that may have been dormant such as anger, shame, and
sadness. By learning how to effectively cope with the difficult emotions
that surface throughout the divorce process, women can begin to feel
more in control of their lives. Women who share their pain in a
relationship that is understanding, caring, and accepting find that they
feel freer to express their painful emotions. As they struggle through
the healing process, they become more powerful and develop greater
internal strength and resilience. Women who work through the difficult
emotions that arise in the divorce process can also learn to overcome
feelings of bitterness and resentment toward their husbands and
themselves, improve their sense of efficacy and self-esteem, develop
tools that foster healthier intimate relationships, and begin to free
themselves of the past and move forward with their lives.