Helping Families Navigate Change with

Compassion

and

Clarity


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Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Services in Brooklyn, NY

Established in 1995, Resolutions Mediation & Collaborative Divorce Services has supported families in Brooklyn, NY, for more than 25 years. We provide a safe, neutral space where couples can reduce conflict, brainstorm solutions, and avoid the high costs of litigation. Our approach focuses on fairness, understanding, and practical solutions that work for everyone involved.


Looking for a compassionate way forward? Call us at (718) 965-9236 to schedule your first consultation today.

Why Choose Resolutions Mediation and Collaborative Divorce Services in Brooklyn

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Decades of Experience: Over 25 years helping Brooklyn families navigate divorce and separation.

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Client-Focused Approach: Resolutions Mediation & Collaborative Divorce Services provides compassionate guidance tailored to your family’s unique needs.

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Private & Affordable: Mediation sessions are confidential and cost-effective compared to traditional litigation.

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Conflict Reduction: We help couples communicate respectfully and create lasting, fair solutions.

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Comprehensive Services: Expertise in collaborative divorce, parenting coordination, and prenuptial mediation.

Can I Mediate If I’m Angry?

Divorce brings intense emotions, and anger is often one of the strongest. While it might seem like a barrier to resolution, anger can actually open the door to more honest conversations and meaningful progress. This blog looks at how mediation can hold space for difficult feelings — not by avoiding them, but by using them to uncover deeper needs, build understanding, and support real solutions.

September 1, 2025
Anger is a normal feeling to have during a divorce. In fact, if you didn’t feel angry there would probably be something very wrong. Usually, one person has been unhappy for a period of time preceding the divorce. When that person tells the other that he or she has decided to leave the marriage, the other is in shock and has to deal with lots of emotions: sorrow, fear and certainly anger. Whether you're the angry one or are dealing with an angry (ex) spouse, it’s never easy. Anger often builds up without your knowing it and if you are not aware of feeling angry, the anger will cause you, or your spouse to lash out. Anger can be expressed in mediation and in fact, it is a valuable tool for a mediator to use to not only resolve the divorce, but also to help shape a better divorce agreement. In mediation anger is a clue that there is an important piece of information which has not yet been expressed and must be explored and understood. Anger tells me someone has important needs which are not being met. When someone is angry I want to hear how they are feeling and want to understand why they are angry. If you could resolve all of these problems yourselves, you probably wouldn’t be getting divorced. All couples have issues which feel overwhelming to one or both of you and feels they can't be resolved, but that's not a fact, it is how you feel. Hopefully, you are coming to mediation to help this resolution come sooner, rather than later. I have seen people really transformed by the mediation process from the time when they first separate, when they are full of fear and don’t know what their future will look and a year or so later, when all of the issues have been worked out and they have learned they can survive and develop a new, full and satisfying life independent of their former spouse. If the feelings are too painful, I will offer people the choice not to speak to each other directly. If someone is very angry, they may prefer to speak to me rather than to their spouse. We may need to take a break from mediation, sometimes a few weeks, until the person starts to work through the anger and feel better. I may have some separate meetings with the angry person to help them explore their options and understand what is at the core of the anger, usually as part of a joint session in which I would also meet with the spouse to get their input on how to meet the needs of the angry person so that we can move through and work with the anger. When we use anger as a tool, it can fuel movement in mediation. I recently mediated a divorce where the husband, Bill* expressed a lot of anger during our first session. He did not want to pay alimony (which in NY state is called maintenance), and was furious that his wife, Cathy* was requesting it. As we began to explore this issue, Cathy spoke about why she felt she was entitled to alimony, she’d given up her career to take care of their children, and this was a joint decision they made when they had their first child. This information did not ease his anger. I asked Bill to tell us why he felt so strongly about this, I assured him Cathy would listen and not interrupt. He began to talk eloquently about how difficult this period of time had been for him, how he was living in a small apartment while his wife and children were in their spacious house. How he didn’t have money to go out to dinner or a movie, how he was cooped up and alone in this small apartment, while she was in their beautiful home with the children. Bill’s anger helped him to express some important needs that he had not expressed before. He felt that financially, things were very tight. He felt under a lot of pressure to be the breadwinner. He felt that Cathy didn’t understand what he was going through. He felt that he didn’t see his children enough. Cathy was able to hear all of this and she responded by talking about the financial pressures she felt, too. She couldn’t buy new shoes for the children or for herself, nor could she get her hair colored. Cathy was sympathetic to her husband and was even having a similar experience. Cathy had planned to go back to work, but after listening to Bill, she said that she realized she needed to try to find a job immediately. She said she was not at all trying to keep the children from their father, and offered to alter the schedule anytime he could get off work early to spend more time with the children. When I helped Cathy listen to Bill, and Bill felt heard by her, his anger began to dissipate. He acknowledged what a wonderful mother she had been to their children, and how glad he was that she’d been able to be home with the children until now, and was even able to realize that he felt sad that she wasn’t going to continue to be home with them. This family was able to resolve their conflict over alimony and the anger was a useful tool that helped us to accomplish this resolution. Once Cathy began to plan to go back to work, Bill relaxed about the issue of alimony. As they were both having the same experience about money, the discussion shifted, instead of the problem being whether Cathy would take money from Bill, we instead confronted a shared problem, how to have more money in the family? I told the couple about tax implications – money paid for child support is not deductible, but money paid for maintenance IS deductible. Suddenly, Bill’s eyes lit up. He realized that if he paid alimony to Cathy, and she used it to run the household, they would both end up in lower tax brackets, thereby resulting in a net tax savings. (Note: This law changed Jan. 2019 – alimony is no longer deductible to payor under federal law, though it’s still deductible under NY state law.) We ended the session talking about how much and how long he should pay Cathy maintenance, instead of whether he would give it to her. Sometimes anger can't be so easily resolved. Many fights are caused by disappointed expectations. No one gets married expecting to divorced. Disappointed expectations are painful to swallow, but are to be expected during a divorce. If you feel overwhelmed by the feelings of your divorce, don't be afraid to seek help. Get some additional support in your life, consider seeing a therapist for a period of time. The more support you get, the faster you will get through this and come out the other side. You WILL find your way through all of these difficult changes. Someday you will look back on this and find that there are ways that it made you stronger.

Finding a Clear Path Through Divorce

Divorce and separation can feel overwhelming. Couples often face tough decisions about property, finances, and parenting. These challenges can create stress, confusion, and tension for everyone involved.


Without support, disagreements can escalate, leading to long, expensive court battles and emotional strain on both partners and children. Many families struggle to find solutions that are fair, practical, and respectful.


At Resolutions Mediation & Collaborative Divorce Services, we provide a calm, neutral space where couples can openly discuss concerns. Our experienced team helps you explore options, clarify goals, and reach agreements that work for your unique situation. You stay in control, reduce conflict, and create solutions that last.

Benefits of Divorce Mediation

Mediation empowers couples to make their own decisions instead of leaving them to a court. The process is private, affordable, and designed to lower conflict while creating lasting solutions for families. With decades of experience, our practice is trusted across New York for respectful and balanced guidance.

Our Mediation Services

Our mediation services are designed to help families communicate effectively, make fair decisions, and reduce stress during challenging times. Each service provides a supportive, neutral environment where couples can focus on practical solutions for their unique situations.

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Divorce Mediation Services

Divorce mediation provides couples with a private, guided process to resolve property, financial, and parenting issues. The focus is on practical, fair agreements that work for both partners.

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Consulting Attorney for Mediation

We assist you before, during, or after mediation as a consulting or reviewing attorney. Our role is to support mediation, encouraging resolution through the mediator. We review agreements to ensure they’re clear and meet your needs.

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative divorce allows couples to work with trained professionals in a cooperative setting. Everyone signs an agreement to settle matters outside of court, which promotes open communication and practical solutions.

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Prenuptial Mediation

Prenuptial mediation gives couples a safe space to discuss finances, roles, and expectations before marriage. The goal is to prevent conflicts and build trust from the start.

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Parenting Coordination

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Parenting coordination is designed to ease ongoing conflicts after separation or divorce by providing a structured process for resolving parenting disputes, where a neutral coordinator helps parents address scheduling issues, reduce tension, and put agreements into practice, helping families minimize court involvement, lower stress, and create a more stable environment for co-parenting.

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Parenting Mediation

Parenting mediation supports parents in resolving disagreements with their child’s needs as the priority, as a neutral mediator guides respectful discussion and collaborative problem-solving, any agreements reached can be turned into a legally binding parenting plan, and the process helps families avoid the stress and cost of court battles.

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Mediation to Stay Married

Not all couples come to us for divorce. Mediation can also help partners address recurring issues, improve communication, and strengthen their relationship for a healthier future together.

Divorce and Parenting Mediation Specialists

Rachel Green

FOUNDER

Michael Henry

ASSOCIATE

Melina Maresca

ASSOCIATE

What Clients Say About Our Mediation Services

I worked with Rachel on a prenuptial agreement. She was knowledgeable, informative, available to meet and responsive and helped us complete our documentation in less than 6 weeks. I would definitely recommend her to others.

Jayson T.

I reached out to Rachel for assistance with understanding a prenuptial agreement I had signed to help me get clear about my options now that I'm in midst of divorce. Her service was impeccable and compassionate. Working with Rachel helped to relieve a lot of anxiety and brought clarity so that I can take a better stand for myself and my children during this very difficult time. I would highly recommend ReSolutions Mediation & Collaborative Services.

Laketa S.

Rachel Greene was enormously helpful and informative when I started the process of divorce. She made me feel completely at ease and answered all my questions clearly and compassionately. I highly recommend her!

Rachel J.

I've worked with - and learned from - Rachel for many years. She is one of the most experienced divorce mediators in New York. She thinks deeply about her clients and works hard to understand them and to help them come to a fair and realistic settlement. You are in good hands with Rachel!

Joy R.

Rachel has the highest level of professionalism and is very responsive and caring. Highly recommend!

Sharon H.

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At Resolutions Mediation in Brooklyn, NY, we guide families through respectful conversations to reach fair agreements—whether planning for the future or navigating a separation. Remote sessions via video are also available for your convenience. Call (718) 965-9236 to learn more and schedule your consultation.