Upside Down Divorce®A Child-Centered Alternative to Traditional Divorce

The Upside Down Divorce® is an Alternative Divorce for Parents. It's a Peaceful, Child-Focused Way to Separate.

Build Your Parenting Plan (6 sessions)

With the support of a neutral therapist, you'll work together to create a detailed parenting agreement that covers:

• A joint parenting mission statement that keeps kids front and center. This becomes your north star—something you’ll return to when emotions run high.
• Weekly parenting time schedules
• Holidays, birthdays, and summer vacations
• Communication boundaries and expectations
• Rules around new partners, alcohol use, and safety
• Decision-making protocols when you disagree
• Plus, many of the nuanced decisions you may not have thought of, but we’ll guide you through every step

In addition to the parenting plan specifics, we will provide support and guidance for:

• Developing a clear plan for when and how to talk with your children about the divorce, so they feel loved and secure from the very beginning.
• Developing a plan for the time and way to let your family, your friends and your community know about the divorce, including on social media.
• Creating a strategic plan for HOW to talk with extended family and friends and how to manage their reactions to the divorce.
• Assessing if your children have additional needs, and coaching you through how to help them and whether or not they need outside support.
• Learning how to communicate with your future co parent (i.e., current spouse) when concerns about the children are noted.
• Any other concerns you have for your family during the divorce process.

Plan Your Finances with Intention

We partner with Certified Divorce Financial Analysts (CDFAs) who specialize in child-centered divorce. They help you fairly and thoughtfully divide assets, negotiate child and spousal support, and structure finances to reduce conflict and tax burden.

Finalize It Legally Without the Drama

After all the major decisions are made, a brief legal consultation wraps it up, ensuring your agreements are complete, comprehensive, and legally filed.

An alternative divorce is for you if...

• ✓You want your kids to know they are loved by both parents
• ✓You’re willing to show up and communicate, even if it’s hard
• ✓You’d rather invest in healing than hostility
• ✓You want to reduce emotional and financial damage

It's probably not for you if..

• ✗You’re determined to “win” the divorce
• ✗There’s an ongoing high-conflict custody battle
• ✗One or both partners refuse to engage in a collaborative process

$4,000 Flat Fee

What's included:

• ✓6 sessions with a therapist
• ✓Therapist-drafted Parenting Plan
• ✓Sessions include a Personalized Communication Plan for telling your kids about the divorce

Additional sessions if needed:

$1,500

• ✓3 additional hours of therapist-guided sessions

$5,000-$7,000

To our financial and legal partners.

These fees are paid separately to the financial professional and attorney after completing the Upside Down Divorce parenting plan.

Sarah & Juan

After discovering an affair, Sarah was devastated. But instead of entering a legal war, they chose to protect their kids. With support, they created a parenting plan and moved forward in a way their children could feel safe and loved.

Matt & Tina

They mutually decided to divorce through couples counseling. By using the Upside Down Divorce method, they processed grief while creating a plan rooted in respect for each other and their children.

Jennifer & Ben

Years of resentment made collaboration feel impossible. But through facilitated sessions, they developed tools for co-parenting and reached a plan that protected their kids from being caught in the middle.

How long does an alternative divorce take?

Most families complete the process in 3-6 months.

What if we can’t agree?

That’s why we’re here. The experts in the process are skilled at helping families work through difficult conflicts. Your Parenting Plan is built for when things get hard, so you have clear ground rules, not ongoing battles.

Why not just do it ourselves?

There are a number of complicated decisions to make that need to be made with professional guidance, especially when couples are going through the emotions and stress of a divorce. Also, most people have not created a parenting plan before and don’t understand how to do it correctly – it would be like trying to draft your own will or another type of legal contract.

What if my ex isn’t honest about money?

Our financial partners ensure full transparency by collecting documents and building trust through a structured, neutral process.

Andrew & Tracy McConaghie

We created Upside Down Divorce® after decades of working with families harmed by traditional divorce. As therapists, we've witnessed the long-term damage high-conflict separations can cause, even decades later.

Andrew is a couples counselor. Tracy is a child therapist. Both of us are trained in collaborative divorce, and together, we've spent over 25 years helping families separate with compassion, clarity, and lasting respect.

• We’ve seen that divorce doesn’t have to destroy families.
• We’ve seen that your children can grow up secure and thriving, even after a divorce.
• We’ve seen that most couples want a healthier way forward…
• They just don’t know it exists.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Divorce

Give your children a clear, loving message—right from the start.

Are you a therapist?

Become an Upside Down Divorce Practitioner

If you are a therapist and interested in becoming an upside down divorce practitioner contact us for training opportunities.