Mediate Michigan

Just ask any matrimonial attorney or therapist. They’ll report that one of the most excruciating casualties of our current financial and real estate downturn has been the emotional toll on families when their hands are tied, and they’re not able to sell their home in a timely manner. Once a couple determines they are no longer able to live together as a family, there is usually a protracted period of adjustment, both emotionally and financially.

The above arrangement adds an additional layer of confusion and anxiety, which often stands in the way of a comfortable transition. This is especially painful if either or both members of the couple have lasting or ambivalent feelings about ending the relationship. Seeing each other daily may be like picking a scab, repeatedly drawing pain at each encounter. What becomes cruelly hurtful is to be confronted by reminders that the other has moved on in his life. Even if there is an attempt to show sensitivity or discretion, there will be ongoing hurts and humiliations that cannot be avoided.

So what steps can families take, when they have no choice, but to live separated, together?

First off, if you can, make sure to get closure. Clarify if there is a possibility of reconciliation or else there may be mixed messages.

via Linda Lipshutz, MS, ACSW: Surviving Under the Same Roof.