Divorce is complicated and expensive. There are convoluted legalities, logistical headaches and financial restructuring. Lawyers help with a lot of that, in exchange for nosebleed-inducing sums. But what about the various emotional quandaries that arise as you dissolve a marriage? How do you handle attending your kid’s tee-ball game if your ex will be there? What do you do when your estranged spouse is texting so much you can’t use your phone? If you send that angry email, will it hurt your legal case?
Enter divorce doulas.
Just as birth doulas offer emotional and informational support throughout a pregnancy, and help their clients navigate the labyrinthian medical system, divorce doulas promise to do the same throughout a divorce, and help their clients navigate the similarly impenetrable legal system.
Madeline Tuckfield and Courtney Cooper started working as divorce doulas in 2021. When the two first met – through their daughters,