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My private practice, the Center for Transition and Transformation, is in East Hartford, Connecticut. I’m happy to offer a free fifteen minute phone consultation before setting up your first appointment. My office phone number is 860-966-4480. Feel free to call me and if you don’t get me, please leave a message with the best time for me to reach you and then we can talk a bit about how I can help. You can also contact me by email at plafield@aol.com

If you decide you’d like to work with me, we’ll plan together how best to use our time and how often we’ll meet and I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule. I am also able to do therapy sessions on the telephone or by Skype if you are unable to travel to my office. Please click on the link if you are interested in distance sessions. Regular individual sessions are generally 50 minutes in length and payment is due at the time of the session. I do not bill or accept insurance but I do have a generous sliding scale fee, and cost can be negotiated based on your income and special life circumstances. I truly wish to make getting good help financially accessible to you. I invite you to click on the link about insurance to read more about why I don’t participate with insurance companies.

Throughout the year I lead various groups, classes and weekend workshops covering a variety of topics. Please call if you are interested in joining a group or attending a workshop. If you would like to attend a group or workshop on a particular topic not presently offered, please feel free to call or email me at plafield@aol.com with your request and I will consider starting a group or offering a class or I will try to refer you to something already happening in your area.

I also offer training and individual supervision for students and professionals who are pursuing higher education and/or licensure in the counseling field and I’m available for consultation on many clinical issues. I am willing to design specific group trainings for your program and also have numerous seminars readily available for training purposes. Please feel free to call or email me to see if you would like explore any of these options.

I believe that there are the two primary kinds of change: external change and internal change. Perhaps you’re thinking about seeking help because of one of these two things. External changes are often out of our control, such as the loss of a job, illness and injury, or death of a loved one, but external changes also include many things we might purposely choose, such as moving, going back to school, or getting married. Receiving help and support with these kinds of changes can turn the transition into a growth opportunity that can lead to internal and external changes that are often life transforming.

Internal change is a change in the self. Sometimes internal change happens naturally over time or as the result of a major life circumstance, but most often we are caught in the many patterns that we learned as survival mechanisms in our families of origin. Many times we can see that how we are responding to our life circumstances and relationships with others needs to change but we cannot seem to help our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Again, with good help and support, internal change can begin to occur and personal transformation can take place.

Most people want to know something about any psychotherapist that they are considering seeing. You will want to talk about deeply personal issues in therapy and while you can really only know how you will feel doing so once you have a visit, of course you want to have some background information before you decide to schedule an appointment. Here are a few of the basics about my training and experience.

I received my clinical counselor’s training at Antioch New England Graduate School, earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed by the state of Connecticut (lic. # 001471) and am also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). I am also an Internal Family Systems (IFS) trained therapist. You can learn more about IFS here: https://ifs-institute.com/.

Believing that our minds, bodies, and spirits are intricately connected, I take a holistic approach in helping my clients to explore what’s happening in their lives. I regularly seek out continuing education in a broad range of areas and read clinical literature and attend professional conferences and trainings because I like to have a lot of tools available so that I can make my best effort to truly help a wide array of people. We all have so many very specifically individualized problems, feelings, and ways of developing and coping with life that it has always seemed to me that there is no one form of therapy that will work well for everyone. It makes sense that the more training and experience I have, the better chance that I can help you. My experience as a mother who has raised two children into adulthood is an important component that contributes to how I work as a therapist, along with my education and professional training.

I have been providing psychotherapy, psycho-education and personal growth seminars for individuals, couples and groups in private practice since 1995. I spent the early part of my counseling career providing therapy for young adults at the Counseling Center at Eastern Connecticut Sate University and later was on staff at Alcohol and Drug Recovery Centers, Inc, a private non-profit corporation located in Hartford, Connecticut which provides high quality substance abuse treatment and supportive services. At ADRC I designed and implemented a group curriculum dealing with spiritual issues in recovery as well as providing individual counseling sessions for clients and staff. Over the years I have worked intensively with clients dealing with issues that include:

While I consider myself a generalist in terms of preferring to be open to working with a wide array of issues and populations, I specialize in working with people who are in transitional periods in their lives dealing with issues such as:

I also have extensive experience organizing, designing, and implementing psycho-educational classes and personal growth workshops. I have been an educator since 1990, teaching in private and public schools, local colleges, and non-profit organizations. I also provide training and supervision for individuals working toward licensure in the mental health field. A few of the many subjects I have covered in my classes and workshops.

Penny Field – Certified Divorce Mediator

Getting divorced is difficult in so many ways. The emotional upheaval that happens as a marriage is ending can be extremely painful and how the dissolution of the marriage is handled will have long reaching consequences for both parties and certainly for any children involved.

Mediation, as opposed to litigation, can be a very effective way to avoid some of the worst fallout that often happens as the result of a contentious divorce and also can save everyone a substantial amount of money and time. Below you can find answers to some common questions about divorce mediation. These are general answers and are not meant as legal advice.

What Happens With Litigation?

With litigation, each party hires and pays an attorney to handle their case. Litigation is adversarial by nature and lawyers are obligated to encourage their own clients to fight for the lion’s share of any marital assets. There will be motions and counter motions filed and hearings scheduled as each of the lawyers fight to obtain details about the finances and personal lives of the opposing counsel’s client. Each lawyer will be charging their client in 6 minute increments at rates of $250-$600 per hour, racking up many, many hours of time before a divorce is granted.

Often, clients will be instructed to not speak to one another while their lawyers argue for months and months, attempting to reach an agreement that a judge will accept and so grant the divorce. Often, many of the issues that were not originally in contention between the divorcing parties become so through this process. The emotional, psychological, and social pain of ending a marriage can be made much worse through a litigated divorce.

How Does Mediation Work?

In mediation, both parties meet with one impartial mediator who helps them to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement based on their individual circumstances. Issues of child custody, child support, parenting plans, and the division of the marital assets and debt are settled through this process without the use of litigation. The mediator helps the parties to come to agreements about what will be fair and equitable for all parties involved and when all the pertinent issues are agreed on, the mediator draws up a Memorandum of Understanding that states in clear language what those agreements are. This document will be presented to the judge along with any other required paperwork. A Family Court judge is the only person who has the power to make any document, even those prepared by attorneys, the basis for a legally binding divorce.

Who Can do Divorce Mediation?

Generally, divorce mediators are either attorneys or mental health professionals although technically, anyone who has completed mediation training can serve as a mediator. Mediators often have a post-graduate degree in a relevant field, such as law or psychology. Regulations regarding mediation vary from state to state, but there is no overall governing body for mediators.

Why Would I Choose a Mediator who is a Mental Health Professional Instead of an Attorney?

Attorneys and mental health professionals have very different training and experience. Lawyers are trained to work within the adversarial process of the law and are required to “zealously represent” their clients. In some situations, this is exactly what is needed but this is not always the case. With mediation, the divorcing people have complete control over the process and the mediator’s goal is to help the parties to reach a fair and equitable agreement for everyone involved. Many attorneys, because of their training in the adversarial nature of the law, have a trouble with the process of mediation. But mental health professionals are trained in listening and responding to the needs of their clients in a compassionate, non-judgmental, and unbiased manner in order to resolve conflicts amicably. This background is ideal for helping couples to reach a fair and equitable agreement based on their individual circumstance. Ideally, the court is minimally involved in the process.

With Mediation, Will I Still Have to go to Court?

Yes. The process of finalizing a divorce is a legal process and only a judge of the family court can legally dissolve a marriage. But a good mediator will write up your agreements in such a way that it is very likely to be accepted by the court so that the judge, who does not know your personal circumstances, will not need to make decisions about your life. A good mediator will make sure you have the help you need to navigate the court process with the least amount of difficulty possible.

How Much Does Mediation Cost?

Mediation fees can vary widely but it will most certainly cost less than retaining two attorneys to litigate a divorce. Fees can range anywhere from between $100-$500 per session. Many mediators, me included, don’t charge an up-front retainer as most attorneys do. This allows clients to pay per session as opposed to needing to come up with a large amount of money at the beginning of the process. Often a divorce can be mediated in 2-4 one hour sessions and generally there will be a separate fee for the written Memorandum of Understanding. A good mediator will clearly discuss their fees with you before you schedule your first appointment.

Can All Divorces Be Mediated?

No. For mediation to work well, both parties must agree to mediation and be able to sit in the same room and communicate with each other civilly. Mediation is not usually an option if there are issues of spousal or child abuse, severe substance abuse, or if there are pre-marital agreements. Please feel free to call me if you have questions about whether or not your situation is suitable for mediation.

About My Mediation Practice

Although I am a licensed mental health professional, divorce mediation is not therapy and I will not be acting as a psychotherapist while doing mediation. While we, of course, acknowledge that there is a complex history and most likely a great deal of pain in the ending of a marriage, the primary task is to reach fair and equitable agreements about the division of marital assets and debt as well as custody and parenting plans that will most benefit any children involved. If at any time in the process it becomes apparent that some counseling might be helpful, I will be happy to refer you to another mental health professional that can help you with the emotional issues that can be so challenging in times of divorce.

I am not an attorney and at no time will I be offering legal advice but my training as a Certified Divorce Mediator as well as my professional mental health background will help me to help you reach agreements that will lead to a non-litigated and uncontested divorce. Please feel free to call me at 860-966-4480 or email me with any questions you might have or to discuss setting up an appointment.