Recent Posts in Mental Health Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 27-May-2020 6 Mistakes to Avoid in a High Net Worth Divorce Divorce is never easy, but divorces involving large amounts of money, property, and other assets are even more challenging. In addition to the types of issues present in typical divorces, such as spousal and child support, child custody, visitation ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 22-May-2020 Did You Know a Postnuptial Agreement can Save Your Marriage? Getting married is very exciting! Spring is that time of year when brides are eagerly gearing up for their June weddings and all the glitz, glamour and drama that a wedding brings virtually in this new world in which we are living! But what about the ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 20-May-2020 3 Tips for Handling Divorce Anxiety! Yes, divorce anxiety is a real thing. As a psychologically-trained medical professional, mediator and divorce attorney, I can spot divorce anxiety right away. I often hear and see the symptoms before my clients do. Why wouldn’t divorce be ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 18-May-2020 5 Tips to Help You Talk to Your Spouse about Divorce while in Quarantine Kevin and Laurie have been married for 15 years. They have a 6 year old daughter with behavioral problems. Kevin is a financial planner, and Laurie works part-time as a computer programmer. For the past 2 years, Kevin has been concerned that his wife ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 15-May-2020 Men Get Abused Too! When we think of spousal abuse we often hear the wife is being abused, but men get abused too! I have worked with a few men in the last six months who all found themselves in very emotionally abusive relationships with their wives. The abuse then ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 11-May-2020 How are You Handling Your Marital Issues During this Pandemic? With social distancing our “new normal” and many states maintaining a shelter-in-place mandate, unhappy couples are stuck at home with no escape. With school cancelled, no babysitters to help, working at home, caring for children and ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 6-May-2020 Is Your Spouse Depressed? As a New York divorce attorney and psychologically-trained mediator I hear from a lot of spouses who want a divorce because they have realized they have been living the horrors of being married to a narcissist or sociopath. But there are other ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 1-May-2020 Divorcing Safely During a Pandemic! Being quarantined together is difficult even for those of us in good relationships. For couples going through divorce, or about to go through divorce and in a dysfunctional relationship, it’s a nightmare! Right now, due to the Corona virus ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 24-Apr-2020 Are You a High Conflict Couple? As a divorce attorney and mediator I can tell you divorce litigation is very rarely a positive process. Mediated and negotiated settlements are increasingly popular especially among divorcing couples in today’s COVID-19 climate. A high conflict ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 20-Apr-2020 4 Financial Mistakes to Avoid When Divorcing During this Panic! 1.) NOT CONSIDERING MEDIATION: ESPECIALLY NOW ! If there is any chance you and your spouse can work together in an amicable way - consider mediation ! Even if you are angry with each other mediation can work. Mediation will save you time and ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 10-Apr-2020 5 Ways to Stay Sane While Locked Up in an Unhappy Marriage During the Coronavirus Pandemic! The coronavirus has changed our everyday lives beyond our understanding. We are all trying to be strong, go with the flow, and find creative ways to cope. Then there are those of us unhappily locked up with our spouse or significant other in an ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 3-Apr-2020 Are You Married to a Narcissist? As a divorce attorney and psychologically-trained mediator I uniquely guide couples, especially those with behavioral problems, towards dignified divorces. Many of the couples I work with complain that narcissism is an unhealthy third party in their ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 30-Mar-2020 Are You Living in a Miserable Marriage? It's Time to GET OUT! You may have been living in an unhappy marriage and just not gotten the courage to do anything about it. It's easy to keep putting it off because you know it will be unpleasant. But now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, you are stuck at home 24/7 ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 27-Mar-2020 Can Mediation Help Your Domestic Partnership? As a divorce attorney and mediator for over 35 years I have helped thousands of couples in all kinds of relationships. You may be thinking, “What is a domestic partnership?” In New York, a domestic partnership is defined as a legal ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 17-Mar-2020 Are You Thinking of Divorcing During the Coronavirus Pandemic? I know that thinking about or getting a divorce, under the best of circumstances, is an overwhelming experience. Divorcing while dealing with the Coronavirus is the last thing you need. Unfortunately, anger, abuse, infidelity, neglect, and ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 12-Feb-2020 4 Valentine's Day - Healthy Marriage Tips! As you know Valentine’s Day is Friday! Yay!! Traditionally couples in the millions get engaged on this day. Being a divorce attorney and psychologically-trained mediator in the love and divorce business for over thirty-five years, sadly, I ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 10-Feb-2020 What to Do when your Spouse Wants a Divorce! It is not unusual for a spouse to hear with no warning from the other that they want a divorce. There can be a lot of factors influencing a partner to come to this decision; another woman or man, a midlife crisis, psychological issues and sometimes ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 3-Feb-2020 Tips to Avoid Divorce Disasters When people decide to divorce it is usually in the whirlwind of heightened emotion. People are not always thinking rationally in this mindset. I often caution clients not to be reactive when thinking about divorcing. I suggest they stop, think and ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 22-Jan-2020 Is Your Spouse Spying on You? Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Well, maybe you are. I have had clients share with me their suspicions, and no they weren’t paranoid, they were correct. Even though you trust your spouse, do you know if they trust you? I had a ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 13-Jan-2020 10 Signs You are in a Verbally Abusive Relationship! Many people who come to me for a consultation have no idea that they are in a verbally abusive relationship. They know that something is wrong, but they can't put their finger on it. As a psychologically-trained divorce attorney I can identify ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 30-Dec-2019 Tips to Divorce-Proof your Relationship in the New Year! New Years is right around the corner. Traditionally, many couples get engaged on New Year’s Eve. Being an attorney in the field of family law for more than thirty-five years, I expect that some of the New Year’s engagements will end in ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 11-Dec-2019 5 Tips for Co-Parenting During the Holidays! The greatest wish of many children of divorce during the holidays is that Mom and Dad will get back together. Even though the sad truth is that this probably is not going to happen, you as responsible parents can cooperate, and make the holidays as ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 2-Dec-2019 4 Tips for Handling Divorce Anxiety During the Holidays! Yes, divorce anxiety is a real thing. As a psychologically-trained medical professional and divorce attorney, I can spot divorce anxiety right away. I often see the symptoms before my clients do. Why wouldn’t divorce be stressful? There are so ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 19-Nov-2019 Are You Living with a Controlling Spouse? My new client seemed very anxious and started twirling her hair around her finger. She started by telling me that she was very concerned because her husband kept separate bank accounts and he was cutting down on the “spending” money he ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 11-Nov-2019 Could your Spouse be Bipolar? A divorcing couple came to see me for mediation. The husband had significant outstanding credit card bills. He also drank quite a bit. The wife wanted a divorce and they had one child. Whenever we had a meeting, the husband dominated the meeting, ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 6-Nov-2019 5 Signs you are Married to a Psychopath! As a divorce attorney I meet all kinds of people from all walks of life. I have found many clients don’t always realize the kind of person they are married to. For example, some clients are married to someone with a character disorder and they ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 22-Oct-2019 5 Signs You are in an Unhealthy Relationship! As a psychologically-trained divorce attorney I can often spot the signs of an unhealthy relationship even before my clients do. My advice in some cases is to seek therapy, in others I strongly suggest they consider divorce. If you see yourself ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 15-Oct-2019 IS YOUR SPOUSE A NARCISSIST? You would be very surprised to learn that psychological problems plague many divorcing couples today, and they don’t even know it. That is until now! When you look at the complex issues that infect families like verbal and physical abuse, ... Continue Reading Posted By Lois M. Brenner, Esq. 18-Sep-2019 Poor Mental Health Destroys Marriages! We see all kinds of abusive relationships in the news but do you know many marriages end today because one party is dealing with mental health issues that result in abusive behaviors that destroy marriages? Today a person facing divorce Googles ... Continue Reading