CCND Lunch & Learn: The Evolving Team: Vulnerability and Trust in the Collaborative Divorce Process

About the Lunch & Learn

Join Rosemarie Ferrante, Lili Vasileff, and Wendy Habelow for an engaging Lunch & Learn based on their forthcoming article, The Evolving Team: Vulnerability and Trust in the Collaborative Divorce Process, featured in the Family Justice Across Borders: Cultural, Courts, and Conflict Resolution (2026 Special Issue of Family Court Review).

This session explores how vulnerability and trust reshape professional roles within the collaborative divorce process. The presenters will examine the shift from traditional, siloed practice to an interdisciplinary team model where attorneys, financial neutrals, and mental health professionals work interdependentl to support families through transition. This discussion will provide practical insights into:

• Realigning professional roles to support a nonadversarial, team-based process
• Building and maintaining trust across disciplines
• Managing team dynamics, including drift, impasse, and realignment
• Creating durable, client-centered outcomes through collaborative problem-solving

Designed for attorneys, financial professionals, and mental health practitioners, this session o2ers both a conceptual framework and real-world application for those committed to advancing interdisciplinary family dispute resolution.

Registration and Meeting Details

Open to Members and Non-Members! Active members must log in to register at no cost and receive link. Link will be provided upon registration. Please do not share link with non-members.

About the Speakers

Rosemarie Ferrante is a family attorney with over 25 years of experience, specializing in non-adversarial divorce through mediation and collaborative divorce. Her work is centered on guiding families through the divorce process with clarity, structure, and compassion—helping them reach thoughtful, durable agreements that support long-term co-parenting and financial stability.

As President of the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce (CCND), Rosemarie leads statewide efforts to transform how families experience divorce. Through her leadership, CCND advances mediation and collaborative divorce as effective alternatives to litigation, with a focus on reducing conflict and improving outcomes for children and families.

In addition to her practice, Rosemarie founded Divorce Resource CT, where she collaborates with Hollis Hardiman, CDFA, to provide educational and wellness-based workshops for individuals contemplating or navigating divorce. These programs are designed to empower participants with the knowledge and support needed to make informed, confident decisions during a significant life transition.

Rosemarie is a trusted educator and thought leader in the field. She regularly serves as a trainer and guest trainer in advanced professional programs on mediation and collaborative divorce, and has been invited as a guest lecturer in graduate-level courses. Her work focuses on developing professionals who are equipped to support families through an interdisciplinary, non-adversarial approach.

She is a sought-after speaker and frequent guest on podcasts, webinars, and professional panels, where she shares her insights on mediation, collaborative divorce, and the importance of reshaping the divorce process to better serve families.

Lili A. Vasileff is President of Wealth Protection Management, based in Greenwich, CT, a fee only Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF™), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, Mediator, Collaborative Financial Specialist and Trainer, and litigation divorce financial expert.  She is a nationally recognized speaker, practitioner, writer, and author of four books on divorce, including: “Money & Divorce: The Essential Roadmap to Mastering Financial Decisions” published by the American Bar Association.

Lili is President Emeritus of the national Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP).  Her awards include the prestigious 2013 Pioneering Award for outstanding public advocacy and leadership in the field of divorce financial planning.  Her website is www.wealthprotectionmanagement.com. She is also founder of Allie’s Dream, Inc., a day program for young adults with developmental disabilities. www.alliesdream.org.

Wendy F. Habelow, Ph.D., completed her clinical internship at Yale University in 1990 and received her Ph.D. in 1991 from Michigan State University. She provides individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults, as well as couples’ therapy and family therapy. Her areas of expertise include treating depression and anxiety including OCD, stress management for all ages, life transition management, overeating and body image issues.

Dr. Habelow also has expertise in working with individuals and families going through separation and divorce. She has served as a Special Master to both the Hartford and Middletown Family Courts and provides expert consultation to attorneys, judges and family court professionals. She is certified as a Mediator and Collaborative Divorce Professional and works as a Collaborative Coach on interdisciplinary teams, provides co-parent education, works as a co-parent counselor to help parents create and/or adjust parent plans as well as establish effective communication strategies.

Dr. Habelow is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Connecticut Psychological Association, the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce, the Connecticut Collaborative Divorce Group where she chairs the Education Section, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and is listed in the National Register of Health Service Providers. She also is a credentialed to practice interjurisdictional psychology. She has been interviewed by NBC Connecticut News for expert advice on many behavioral health topics, was a panelist for Colin McEnroe’s Freshly Squeezed series.
and has written articles on various topics including most recently on Collaborative Divorce in the journal Practice Innovations™ in 2023.