If you’re pursuing a divorce on Long Island, you may be ordered by a Nassau or Suffolk County court to attend divorce counseling. Here’s what you should expect from mandatory divorce counseling and how you can get help with separation, child custody, support, and other critical family legal matters.

What Is Divorce Counseling?

When you hear the term “divorce counseling,” you may think of marriage counseling with the goal of avoiding divorce. However, this isn’t an entirely accurate description. Divorce counseling is a specific type of therapy that helps couples process complex emotions about the dissolution of their marriage and related issues.

Divorces can play out in any number of ways. One of those is a default divorce or a default divorce judgment. Here’s what you should know about this type of divorce and how you can get help legally dissolving your marriage.

Default Judgement Divorces Explained

There are two kinds of default divorces on Long Island:

• A default judgment issued when the defendant does not respond to the divorce petition within the required amount of time
• The finalization of an uncontested divorce

Typically, the former of the two contexts is the most commonly referred to as a Default Judgement. When a plaintiff files for divorce and the defendant fails to respond after every effort is made to notify them of the petition, the court has no choice but to move forward, usually with the terms requested by the plaintiff.

If you’re considering filing for divorce but your spouse lives out of state, the process can become trickier. Will you be able to file in New York, or will you have to divorce your spouse in another state? Here’s what you need to know.

Check the Residency Requirements of Both States

First, it’s important to check the residency requirements for divorce in both states. If one of you does not meet the residency requirements of your state, this simplifies the process and limits you to filing for divorce only in the state where one spouse meets residency guidelines. If you both meet residency requirements, you can select which state in which you want to file.

New York residency requirements are as follows:

If you’ve decided to get a divorce, your spouse has the option to refuse to sign the divorce papers when served. If they’re completely missing in action, this may work in your favor. However, things can become significantly more complicated if your spouse’s refusal to sign leads to a contested divorce. Here’s what you can do if your ex isn’t cooperating.