Dr. Katherine M. Hertlein: 5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce

Be patient with yourself. Divorce or separation is a significant life event. In addition to the change in schedules, living situation, and other physical changes, the emotional changes can be difficult and wash over you at times you might not expect. Be patient with yourself and recognize the massive change unfolding before you.

As part of our series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Survive And Thrive After A Divorce Or Breakup” I had the pleasure of interviewing Katherine M. Hertlein, Ph.D.

Katherine M. Hertlein, Ph.D., is a professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy. An alumnus of the Fulbright Scholar Program, Dr. Hertlein lectures nationally and internationally on couples, technology, and sexuality.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago in a town called Downers Grove. I grew up in a home with three sisters (one older and two younger) so there was always a lot of activity in the home. My mother worked as a nurse for the hospital system at University of Illinois at Chicago and my father worked as a supervisor in a post office. I grew up with the typical suburban life: Sunday afternoons at my grandmother’s house, lots of friends, bike rides around the neighborhood, and my parents trying to make sure that we all had exposure to lots of different activities and perspectives. Much of my extended family also lives in Chicago and its neighboring suburbs, and it was a really neat place to be able to grow up and be surrounded by relatives. I also have four cousins — all women — so between my extended and immediate family, there is a lot of support and wonderful examples of how to…