For Peter Fabish, co-founder of Conscious Family Law & Mediation and co-author of the bestselling book The Collaborative Divorce Advantage, his life’s work was shaped by an early experience of profound loss and family upheaval. When Fabish was just 11 years old, his mother took her own life, shattering his family and leading to an estrangement from his mother’s relatives. His father was left to raise Peter and his two brothers alone during this extraordinarily difficult transition.
“I believe this experience molded and guided me toward a career helping families to experience smoother periods of change than I had growing up, even as they radically alter their family structure through divorce,” Fabish reflects. His childhood imbued him with deep empathy for the turmoil families face when their lives are thrown into disarray – and an unwavering commitment to help them find their way through with wisdom, care and compassion.
After earning his law degree in 1991, Fabish practiced for over a decade before returning to school in 2003 to obtain a master’s in counseling. “I deeply honor the role of lawyer as counselor,” he explains. While he doesn’t practice therapy, his clients lean on him as a trusted guide as they navigate the uncertain emotional terrain of divorce and its aftermath.
Divorce Mediation and Conflict Resolution
It was through this interdisciplinary study of both law and counseling that Peter Fabish developed his distinctive approach to divorce mediation and conflict resolution. Where others might see only anger, blame and hurt, he has cultivated the hard-won ability to perceive the roots of the conflict – and to recognize how working through those issues can open up new pathways for growth, understanding and fulfillment.
“Conflict is not to be feared and avoided at all costs,” Fabish asserts. “Rather, it can often be a trustworthy compass to point individuals and couples to the issues they need to address to lead rich and fulfilling lives.” Of course, when couples are enmeshed in the throes of a bitter divorce, it can be enormously difficult to maintain that big-picture perspective. This is where Fabish’s greatest strengths lie: in guiding his clients to spin “the straw of their seemingly-intractable differences into the gold of new ways of moving forward with their lives.”
Over the course of an accomplished career as an attorney-mediator, Fabish has facilitated countless divorces and helped couples and families emerge from the process not just intact, but better prepared to thrive. Time and again, participants in his divorce mediations remark on his gift for cutting through anger and defensiveness to uncover the unmet needs, submerged fears and core values driving the conflict. Once those underlying issues are brought to light, Fabish is able to skillfully steer the conversation toward mutually satisfying solutions that allow both parties to feel heard, respected and empowered to move forward on positive terms.
Conscious Family Law & Mediation, which Fabish co-founded with his law partner John Hoelle, is predicated on a core belief that adversarial, “scorched earth” divorce litigation helps no one – least of all the children whose wellbeing is at stake. As a certified divorce mediator, Fabish champions a commitment to helping families traverse this challenging life transition in a spirit of cooperation, compassion and shared purpose. His mediation expertise allows him to defuse tensions and foster collaboration, even when divorcing parties seem hopelessly at odds.
Denver Divorce Mediation
In addition to his thriving divorce mediation practice in Denver and Boulder, Colorado, Fabish devotes himself to educating both the public and professionals in the family law arena about the transformative potential of the mediation process. He formerly served as president of the Boulder Interdisciplinary Committee, training attorneys and mental health practitioners in family law best practices. He was also co-chair of the Boulder Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution section, where he advanced wider adoption of mediation and other means of resolving conflicts outside the adversarial court system.
Looking back, Peter Fabish sees his life’s journey as an almost fated path to his current role as a preeminent guide for families negotiating divorce and disentangling previously intertwined lives. From the crucible of his own childhood loss, he has forged an unshakable resilience – and a profound gift for discerning the gold that can emerge even from the depths of conflict. Under his expert and empathetic guidance, divorcing couples gain the ability to transcend their differences, honor their enduring familial bonds, and establish a foundation for more conscious, harmonious lives ahead.
To learn more about Peter Fabish and the divorce mediation firm he co-established, Conscious Family Law & Mediation, please visit https://www.consciousfamilyfirm.com.
