CDC Divorce Coaching Process and Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During an initial discovery session, what is the PRIMARY purpose of the coaching agreement?
- To set out how marital assets will be divided
- To document the client's legal grounds for divorce
- To set out roles, responsibilities, confidentiality, fees, and the scope of the coaching relationship (Correct answer)
- To record the coach's assessment of the client's mental health
Correct answer: To set out roles, responsibilities, confidentiality, fees, and the scope of the coaching relationship
A coaching agreement sets clear expectations about the relationship, including logistics, confidentiality limits, and scope.
Question 2: A client asks their divorce coach whether they should accept a specific alimony offer. What is the most appropriate coaching response?
- Advise the client to accept, since settling saves money
- Tell the client to reject the offer and push for more
- Calculate a fair alimony figure for the client
- Help the client clarify priorities and questions, then refer the legal question to their attorney (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Help the client clarify priorities and questions, then refer the legal question to their attorney
Coaches help clients get clear on their thinking but do not give legal advice, which belongs to attorneys.
Question 3: Which question is the best example of a powerful, open-ended coaching question?
- Did your spouse cheat on you?
- What would a successful outcome of this negotiation look like for you? (Correct answer)
- Are you feeling sad today?
- Don't you think you should see a lawyer?
Correct answer: What would a successful outcome of this negotiation look like for you?
Powerful questions are open-ended and forward-focused, and they invite reflection and new awareness.
Question 4: A client keeps calling themselves 'a failure' because their marriage ended. Which technique helps them see the situation from a more empowering angle?
- Confrontation
- Advice-giving
- Reframing (Correct answer)
- Mirroring the client's body language
Correct answer: Reframing
Reframing offers a different, more resourceful view of the same situation without denying the client's experience.
Question 5: Which client behavior is the clearest red flag that the divorce coach should refer them to a mental health professional?
- The client is anxious about meeting with their lawyer
- The client expresses thoughts of self-harm or hopelessness that interfere with daily functioning (Correct answer)
- The client feels angry at their spouse
- The client cries while talking about the children
Correct answer: The client expresses thoughts of self-harm or hopelessness that interfere with daily functioning
Signs of clinical depression or risk of self-harm fall outside coaching scope and require a licensed therapist.
Question 6: What does 'holding the client accountable' mean in divorce coaching?
- Reporting the client's progress to the court
- Charging the client for missed sessions
- Following up on the actions the client committed to and exploring what got in the way (Correct answer)
- Blaming the client for the breakdown of the marriage
Correct answer: Following up on the actions the client committed to and exploring what got in the way
Accountability means supporting follow-through on the client's own commitments, without judgment.
Question 7: When a divorce coach practices 'level 3' or global listening, what are they paying attention to?
- Mainly their own reactions and what they will say next
- The opposing spouse's point of view
- Only the facts of the client's legal case
- The client's words plus tone, energy, emotion, and what is left unsaid (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The client's words plus tone, energy, emotion, and what is left unsaid
Global listening takes in the whole communication, including non-verbal cues and underlying emotion.
