Divorce Recovery Therapy in Los Angeles
The divorce is final, or close to it, and everyone expects you to feel relieved. Instead you feel unmoored. The grief comes in waves, sometimes for the marriage, sometimes for the future you had pictured. Your sense of who you are has been shaken. There may be co-parenting to navigate with someone you are still angry at, and a quiet fear that you will not feel like yourself again.
I'm Dr. Jené Verchick, a licensed clinical psychologist with 26+ years of experience. I help people in Los Angeles heal after a divorce and rebuild a life that feels like their own again. I work by video.
My Approach
Divorce recovery is not one thing. It is grief, identity, anxiety about the future, and often anger that has nowhere to go. I draw on a few proven methods and match them to where you are. Psychodynamic and attachment-based work helps make sense of the grief and the patterns the marriage exposed, so the next chapter is different. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps with the rumination, the 2 a.m. spirals, and the anxiety of starting over. As a psychologist with 26+ years, much of it spent deep in couples work, I understand intimately what a marriage is and what its ending takes from you.
What I Help With
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Grief over the marriage and the future you expected
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Rebuilding a sense of identity outside the relationship
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Anxiety and rumination about starting over
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Anger and resentment with nowhere to put it
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Co-parenting with someone you are no longer with
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Loneliness and the fear of being alone
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Rebuilding the confidence to trust, and eventually date, again
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Untangling what was you, what was them, and what was the dynamic
Why Work With a Psychologist for This
Support groups and directories have their place. But the grief, the identity shift, and the patterns underneath usually need individual, in-depth work with an experienced clinician. I'm a licensed psychologist with a doctorate and 26+ years of practice, and you work directly with me, by video. Much of my career has been spent helping couples, which means I understand from the inside what you are actually grieving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of therapist is best for divorce recovery?
Look for someone who understands both grief and relationships, because divorce is both. A licensed psychologist or experienced therapist who works with attachment and identity, not just logistics, can help you heal rather than only cope. I bring 26+ years, much of it deep in relationship work, to exactly this.
What is the difference between divorce counseling and divorce recovery?
Divorce counseling usually happens while you are still deciding whether to divorce, or working through the separation itself. Divorce recovery is the healing afterward: the grief, the identity shift, and rebuilding. If you are still deciding, see my divorce counseling page. If the decision is made and you are putting yourself back together, this is the work.
How long does divorce recovery therapy take?
It varies. Some people come for a focused stretch to get through the hardest months. Others stay longer to do deeper work on the patterns the marriage revealed. I will give you my honest read early, and we will track progress so you always know where things stand.
Is this individual therapy or a support group?
Individual therapy, one on one with me. Groups can be a helpful supplement, but this is dedicated, private work focused entirely on you.
Do you help with co-parenting?
Yes, as part of your recovery. We work on how to handle a difficult co-parenting relationship without it pulling you back under. I do not do custody evaluations or legal work.
Starting Divorce Recovery
When you are ready, reach out. Email, call, or use the contact form. The first conversation is about fit, making sure my approach makes sense for where you are.