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    Opening Note from the President

    As we enter the new year, our focus at the Divorce Coaching Association of Ontario is firmly on what lies ahead and the role DCAO will continue to play in shaping the future of divorce coaching.

    The year ahead is one of intentional growth and strategic development. We will be advancing our accreditation framework, strengthening professional standards, and expanding educational offerings to ensure DCAO-accredited coaches are well equipped to support families navigating separation in increasingly complex and high-conflict contexts.

    A key priority for the coming year is deepening our engagement by continuing to build relationships with lawyers, mediators, mental health professionals, and other related professionals to promote a clearer understanding of the value divorce coaching brings to families.

    We are also focused on increasing public awareness of divorce coaching as a distinct, ethical, and valuable profession, while providing our members with greater opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and professional visibility. Behind the scenes, we will be strengthening our organizational infrastructure to better support our growing membership and to ensure long-term sustainability for the Association.

    The year ahead is about building credibility, capacity, and connection; and positioning DCAO as a leading voice in the evolution of family support in Ontario. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the months ahead.

    Kindly,
    Steve Benmor
    DCAO President

    Community Corner

    Internal News

    DCAO is excited to announce the appointment of Leona Harvie as a member of the Board of Directors in place of Cris Lam. We wish Cris the best of luck in all her future endeavors.

    Welcome New Members!

    We are happy to announce our new members: Stacey Mendelson and Kim McAvoy-MacNeil.

    Member Highlight

    Jo'Ann Alderson

    As a coach, Jo’Ann Alderson’s strength is helping clients obtain a solid settlement in High Conflict/High Net Worth divorce. She knows what’s at stake. More than this, she knows how to help her clients when their whole world has fallen apart. She’s been there.

    But that’s not Jo’Ann’s whole story.

    Before she met her now ex-husband, Jo’Ann was President of Progressive Communications Inc.

    As a communications consultant, speaker, author and coach she worked with international corporations, government services, and people just like you to hone their interpersonal communication and presentation skills. Her studies and certifications include Vocal Production, Mass Media and Communication, Life Coaching (CTI); Divorce and Life Transition Coaching (CDC); Grief Education, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and CBT-Anxiety (UofT-OISE), Foundations of Trauma (WLU) and Behavioural Assessment (The McQuaig Institute).

    High Conflict/High Net-Worth divorce are unique and have risen from fourteen to over forty percent of files in recent years. Jo’Ann helps you understand the process, develop your strategy, and prepare for the road ahead so that you can help your lawyer work for you on your journey. Your goal is to get to the finish line without depleting your emotional reserves and financial means. Jo’Ann’s goal is to be your guide.

    You can reach Jo’Ann by email at: ja@joannalderson.com
    By telephone at: 416.565.4600
    And visit her website at: joannalderson.com.

    Featured Article

    THE VALUE OF WORKING WITH A DIVORCE COACH: A LAWYER’S PERSPECTIVE by Steve Benmor

    From a lawyer’s vantage point, divorce is not only a legal event – it is a convergence of emotional upheaval, financial uncertainty, and high-stakes decision-making, all unfolding under significant time pressure. While the law provides structure and rules, it does not, on its own, prepare people to make sound decisions in the midst of personal disruption.

    This is where working with a Divorce Coach – particularly a Divorce Coaches Association of Ontario (DCAO) Accredited Divorce Coach – adds measurable and strategic value.

    In practice, many separating spouses arrive at their lawyer’s office cognitively overwhelmed and emotionally dysregulated. They are expected to make decisions about parenting, housing, support, and property division at precisely the moment when their capacity to process information is at its lowest. From a legal perspective, this “readiness gap” is one of the greatest obstacles to efficient resolution.

    Clients who are unprepared often:

    • Struggle to absorb legal advice
    • Fixate on perceived unfairness rather than outcomes
    • Make fear-based or reactive decisions
    • Revisit settled issues repeatedly

    None of this reflects a lack of intelligence or goodwill. It reflects the reality that divorce places extraordinary strain on decision-making systems. Divorce Coaches operate directly in this space.

    Divorce Coaches do not provide legal advice, nor do they replace lawyers or financial professionals. Their value lies elsewhere: they help clients become capable participants in the legal process.

    From a lawyer’s perspective, this translates into clients who are:

    • Better regulated emotionally
    • More realistic financially
    • Clearer about priorities and trade-offs
    • Less reactive in negotiations

    This is not ancillary support; it is decision infrastructure.

    One of the most consistent challenges lawyers encounter is financial opacity – not in disclosure, but in client understanding. Many spouses enter separation without a clear grasp of household spending, income streams, or the cost of post-separation independence. This lack of clarity fuels anxiety and undermines negotiations.

    Divorce Coaches address this early by helping clients:

    • Identify fixed and variable expenses
    • Understand income sources and reliability
    • Build realistic, post-separation budgets
    • Anticipate financial transitions rather than react to them

    From a legal standpoint, a client who understands their financial reality is far less likely to advance unsustainable positions or reject reasonable settlements out of fear.

    Importantly, Divorce Coaching is not about persuading clients to “give in” or compromise their rights. Rather, it reframes conflict away from blame and toward problem-solving. Divorce Coaches help clients distinguish between what feels unfair and what is legally and practically achievable.

    This distinction is critical. Many high-conflict cases are not driven by legal complexity, but by unmanaged fear and unrealistic expectations. Divorce Coaches help clients recalibrate without lawyers having to assume the role of emotional regulators – something the legal system is poorly designed to do.

    From a lawyer’s perspective, the benefits of working alongside Divorce Coaches are tangible:

    • More efficient use of legal time: Clients come to meetings prepared, focused, and able to prioritize.
    • Improved settlement durability: Agreements reached by informed clients are less likely to unravel.
    • Healthier negotiations: Financial and emotional clarity reduces positional bargaining.
    • Lower overall costs: Fewer crises, fewer reversals, fewer unnecessary motions.

    In short, Divorce Coaching supports the conditions under which legal advice can actually be effective.

    DCAO Accredited Divorce Coaches operate within clear professional boundaries. They do not provide legal opinions, predict court outcomes, or interfere with solicitor-client relationships. Instead, they reinforce them by ensuring clients are psychologically and practically ready to receive and act on legal advice.

    This distinction matters. When roles are respected and integrated thoughtfully, clients benefit – and so does the justice system. Divorce may unfold through statutes, rules, and case law, but it is experienced by human beings under stress. From a lawyer’s perspective, Divorce Coaching is not a soft add-on; it is a strategic ally in achieving durable, fair, and efficient outcomes. When clients are calmer, clearer, and financially informed, legal processes work better. Decisions improve. Settlements last. And clients leave the process not just legally divorced, but equipped to move forward.

    That is the true value of working with a Divorce Coach – from the lawyer’s chair.

    Tip of the Month

    Focusing on intentions rather than resolutions = success!

    Resolutions are often specific goals or targets, like “I want to be happy” or “I want to move on quickly,” which can feel rigid or pressure-filled.

    But intentions are more flexible and centered on how you want to approach life, such as “I intend to be compassionate with myself during this process” or “I intend to build a strong sense of independence and clarity.”

    With intentions, you’re focusing on the process rather than the outcome, which gives room for growth and flexibility, especially in the emotional reality of divorce.

    For someone going through a divorce, this can be super empowering because divorce isn’t just a one-time event; it’s a series of transitions and emotional shifts. By setting intentions, a person can adjust their approach as they navigate each step, whether it’s dealing with finances, co-parenting, or managing personal well-being.