After 20-plus years of marriage, Jane discovered that her husband had been embezzling money from his company.

This infidelity, along with his recent verbal abuse, prompted Jane to get a divorce. She was hurt, shattered, ashamed, lost and confused about her future. For the previous 22 years, she had shared friends, children, family and a business all with the same partner.

Could she handle starting all over?

People that separate or divorce often find that they have to rebuild their lives because, in some ways, divorce is the “death” of a relationship. We have to accept that divorce is a big loss — one often accompanied by feelings of trauma, betrayal and loss of trust.

To overcome this loss, its important we process our emotions (which often include anger, shame and blame), communicate our needs, establish healthy boundaries with our ex-partner and rebuild our lives.