Recommended professionals
You don’t have to do this alone.
The right team makes a hard season more manageable.
Divorce touches your legal rights, your finances, your emotions, and your family. No single professional handles all of it. This page explains who you may need, when to bring them in, and what to ask, so you can build a team that fits your situation.
Coaching works alongside these professionals, not in place of them. Part of what we do together is help you decide who belongs on your team and how to get the most from every appointment.
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Personal introductions
Ask about trusted professionals near you
Just Exhale is experienced in Florida divorces and works with clients in any location. During your Fit Consultation or coaching sessions, you can ask for introductions to professionals Alisa knows and trusts, matched to where you live and what you need. When there is no one in her network near you, we will help you search with confidence.
Free Divorce Team Guide (PDF) ↓
Your core team
The four professionals most clients need.
Not everyone needs every professional, and not all at once. Here is what each one does and when they tend to matter most.
Legal
Family law attorney
Advises you on your rights and options, prepares and files documents, negotiates for you, and represents you in court if needed. Only a licensed attorney where you live can give you legal advice.
When to bring them in
- Before you file, or as soon as you are served
- Before you sign anything, including a “simple” agreement
- When children, a business, retirement accounts, or significant assets are involved
Questions worth asking
- What process do you recommend for my situation: negotiation, mediation, collaborative, or litigation, and why?
- How do you bill, and how can I keep my costs down?
- Who on your team will I work with day to day?
How coaching helps: We organize your documents, timeline, and questions before each meeting, so your attorney’s time goes toward your case, not sorting paperwork.
Resolution
Family mediator
A neutral professional who helps both spouses reach agreements outside of court. A mediator does not represent either side or give legal advice to either of you.
When to bring them in
- When you and your spouse can talk, even if it is hard
- When a court requires mediation before a hearing
- When you want more control over the outcome and the cost
Questions worth asking
- What is your background: law, finance, or mental health?
- Are you certified or court-approved where we live?
- How do you handle an imbalance of power or a high-conflict dynamic?
How coaching helps: We clarify your must-haves and acceptable trade-offs, then prepare a calm plan for mediation day, followed by a debrief. Just Exhale does not attend mediation.
Financial
Divorce financial specialist
A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) or similar professional helps you understand the long-term effect of a settlement: taxes, retirement, support, and whether you can keep the house.
When to bring them in
- When there are retirement accounts, pensions, stock options, or a business
- When you are deciding whether to keep or sell the home
- When you are not sure what your life will cost after the divorce
Questions worth asking
- Will you work with my attorney or mediator directly?
- Can you show me what my finances look like five or ten years after each option?
- Are you a fiduciary, and how are you paid?
How coaching helps: Your Phase 1 binder gives a financial professional an organized starting point: accounts, debts, income, and key documents in one place.
Emotional
Therapist or counselor
A licensed mental health professional helps you process grief, anxiety, anger, and the emotional weight of ending a marriage. For children, a child therapist can offer a steady place to talk.
When to bring them in
- When sleep, work, or daily life feels hard to manage
- When old pain or trauma is coming up
- When your children are struggling with the change
Questions worth asking
- Do you have experience with divorce and family transitions?
- Do you work with individuals, children, or both?
- Do you offer sessions online, and do you take my insurance?
How coaching helps: Coaching is future-focused and practical. Therapy offers healing and treatment. Many clients benefit from both, and we help you recognize when it is time to add a therapist.
As your situation calls for it
Other professionals who may help.
Tax professional (CPA)
Filing status, dependents, support, and the tax impact of selling property or dividing accounts.
Business valuation expert
When you or your spouse owns a business or professional practice that needs a fair value.
Real estate professional
An agent experienced with divorce can help with listing, timing, and selling a shared home.
Mortgage professional
Find out early whether you can refinance or qualify to keep the home on one income.
Estate planning attorney
Update your will, beneficiaries, powers of attorney, and guardianship choices after divorce.
Parenting coordinator
In some places, a court-appointed or agreed professional helps high-conflict parents carry out a parenting plan.
Finding the right fit
Where to start your search.
These public directories are offered for convenience. Listing does not mean Just Exhale endorses a particular professional. Always confirm licenses and credentials where you live.
- Florida attorneysThe Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service, and the Bar’s list of Board Certified attorneys, including Marital & Family Law. Outside Florida, check your state or country’s bar association.
- Florida mediatorsThe Florida courts’ Alternative Dispute Resolution resources, including Supreme Court certified family mediators.
- Divorce financial specialistsThe Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts CDFA® directory, and CFP Board’s verification tool for financial planners.
- TherapistsThe Psychology Today therapist finder lets you filter by location, specialty, insurance, and online sessions.
- Safety supportIf you are worried about your safety, the National Domestic Violence Hotline offers free, confidential help at 1-800-799-7233.
For professionals
Attorneys, mediators, financial and mental health professionals
Just Exhale welcomes relationships with professionals who share a calm, client-centered approach. Coached clients tend to arrive organized, with documents gathered and questions prepared.
Good to know
About these recommendations
Just Exhale provides divorce coaching, not legal representation, financial advice, therapy, or crisis support. Recommendations and introductions are offered as a courtesy. You choose who to hire, and each professional is responsible for their own services. Just Exhale does not receive payment for recommending any professional.
Recommendations come from Alisa’s own experience. Over 11 years as a freelance Florida family law paralegal, she has worked alongside many attorneys, mediators, CPAs, financial neutrals and other professionals. Some recommended professionals are people she has done paralegal work for, now or in the past, and some are personal acquaintances. Those relationships are separate from Just Exhale, and no one is recommended in exchange for them.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Want to see how coaching fits in? See Services & Pricing or the FAQ.
